False Alarms
by EmilyBea
Summary: Modern AU where Emma is a Boston police detective and Killian is firefighter. They both get called to a fire in progress but it ends up being a false alarm, however there can be no denying the sparks between them. Includes fluff and my usual attempts at humor as well as a touch of fake-dating and meddling friends. Inspired by the song 'False Alarm' by Motoma and Becky Hill.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hey all! So today has not been a great day for me and as such I figured it was as good a time as any to get started on a new story that can distract me with fluff. Since way back when in the sweet summertime I've had a few people ask me for stories with Killian as a firefighter and I think I've finally stumbled on the exact story I want to write with that element. I hope you'll all enjoy and thanks for reading!**_

"Are you going to finish that?" Emma looked up from the slice of pizza that was inches from her mouth to her best friend and partner Ruby.

From anyone else a question like this would be unexpected, but Emma and Ruby went way back and Emma was hardly surprised by Ruby's quirks anymore. They'd met years ago in the academy training to be good police, and since day one Ruby had made two things very clear. The first was that she would take no shit from anyone ever. Superior, peer, friendly neighborhood witness, or perp, it did not matter. Ruby Lucas would not stand to be disrespected. And the second thing was that she never wasted food and she was never too full to pass up a meal or try and scrounge from someone else.

"You mean the pizza I'm currently in the middle of eating? Yeah I was thinking about it." Ruby sighed dramatically.

"Fine. I'll go order another slice from Tiny, but you owe me."

Emma laughed and shook her head at the statement. Obviously she owed Ruby nothing but it was still funny that Ruby would say so, and if her slightly delusional friend wanted to pretend that there was some injustice in Emma's finishing her own pizza, she wouldn't stand in her way. Besides, it should make a more interesting rest of their shift, which had been quiet so far and was over in a few more hours.

"Just be quick about it. We're back on in ten," Emma reminded and Ruby scoffed.

"Oh please. I've got this."

Emma knew that Ruby did beyond the shadow of a doubt, but this was their thing. They bantered back and forth like this in downtime and then shifted into a different gear when the chips were actually down. It helped combat the stresses of their job and this system was what kept them working as well as they did as both friends and partners.

Ruby and Emma had been assigned together officially for two years now (ever since they both passed the detective's exam), and they worked to be the best of the best in their precinct and beyond. They're number of solved cases was higher than nearly everyone else, and their records were impressive for any member of the force, never mind two cops as young as the two of them. They put in more overtime than anyone, helped out in any case they could, but they both knew when to walk away and how to tell when their partner was getting in too deep. More than anything Emma and Ruby had each other's backs and that was what made their partnership so successful.

Part of that drive to be better than the rest was because there weren't that many other women amongst their peers, but most of it came down to personality. Both Emma and Ruby loved this city and they cared about the people who lived in it. That passion was what kept them going day in and day out, through good times and bad. It wasn't about keeping spotless reputations and earning good marks from their superiors at the end of the day, but about doing the best that they could with the situations they were given.

But sometimes the situations were less than ideal, like right now when the shrill ringing of Emma's phone designated for the precinct cut through the pizza shop. Before Emma could so much as answer, Ruby let out a groan from the counter. If they were getting a call on this phone, there was a good chance that their twenty-minute break was about to be cut short.

"This is Emma." The sigh of relief that came through the phone indicated immediately that the person calling was their desk sergeant Leroy.

" _Emma, glad I caught you. We've got a situation on the corner of Elm and Washington. I know you're off, but Reynolds and Bryant-,"_

"Have about as much charisma as a wet blanket and as much sense as two frat boys on Greek Week. Yeah I know. We're on it." Emma waved Ruby to the door and her friend immediately moved with her, but tossed out a little bit of sass for good measure.

"We are so _not_ on it," Ruby muttered from beside her and after rolling her eyes, Emma handed her partner the rest of her pizza. "Okay now we're on it."

"So what's going on?" Emma asked Leroy and the man proceeded to fill them in.

Apparently two patrolmen in the area had stumbled upon a hysterical old woman claiming that someone was trying to burn her apartment complex down. They immediately dispatched for Fire Rescue when they saw smoke and station sixty-one was en route. The patrolmen were in pursuit of the offender at that moment, but since Emma and Ruby were off the clock, and their dispatch radio was in their car, they'd missed the call for backup blowing up their feed.

"Great – dealing with some crazy arsonist. That's exactly how I pictured my Friday going."

"Ruby!" Emma said, chastising her friend's laid-back attitude about this. Arson was no joke, and worst of all it was almost impossible to prove unless you caught the person in the act. This was serious and underneath the sarcasm Ruby knew that.

"What? I'm just saying. It's like the Universe knows we've got our first weekend off in months and wants the whole thing sabotaged by paperwork and a citywide manhunt."

"Now you're just jumping to conclusions," Emma replied though she could relate to Ruby's frustrations on some level.

"I'm imagining possible scenarios. Detective 101 – be prepared for anything."

"That's the boy scouts, Ruby." Her friend considered Emma from across the car and looked doubtful.

"Eh I think that was us first. I'll ask your Mom next time I see her."

Emma ignored the comment, trying not to think about her mother as they pulled up to the scene, which despite Leroy's claims seemed relatively calm. There were two fire trucks out here and a number of firefighters to go with them, but not a one of them was racing into the building at top speed, and the two patrolmen standing outside looked annoyed rather than scared of having let a perp get away.

"Oh this is going to be good," Ruby said. She was practically giddy at what was coming, and Emma could sense just as Ruby could that this was about to be a huge waste of time.

"Detectives – we're sorry you got called in on this. It's a false alarm. An old lady saw smoke on her fire escape but it was just her drunk grandson trying to cook a burger." Emma put her hands on her hips and shook her head, silently wondering why people thought that was a good idea ever, never mind in the middle of winter.

"Of course it is," Ruby replied before whispering to Emma. "We're getting lunch reimbursed for this, you know that right?" Emma smirked but pressed on, trying to be professional.

"Well false alarm or not, we got called in, we have to see for ourselves. Where's the woman who filed the complaint?"

"She's inside again, probably throttling her grandson. She's scrappy that one, when she's not shrieking at the top of her lungs that is." Ruby barked out a laugh as the patrolmen gave Emma the rest of the details and signaled for Emma to take the lead.

"After you, partner."

Emma moved past Ruby through the door and up the stairwell, aiming to get to apartment 3C as fast as she could. The sooner they squared this away, the sooner they could move onto something that mattered again and get to that lovely and long overdue free weekend. Yet as they ascended the stairwell, Emma realized that might not be entirely possible given the firefighters moving down the stairwell at the same time that immediately caught Ruby's eyes.

"Well hello," Ruby whispered under her breath low enough so only Emma heard.

"Detective Nolan." The friendly greeting and gentlemanly tip of a firefighter hat came from Graham Huntsman, a man Emma had known for years. She rolled her eyes at his excessive display. They were friends after all, and she didn't need the feigned gallantry from her friends.

"Lieutenant. Anything we should know about this on your end?"

"Scarlet made an ass of himself with the ladder. Other than that, just your standard Friday afternoon shenanigans."

Emma smiled (knowing Will Scarlet well enough to believe Graham's account) and then noticed Graham's eyes as they flicked to Ruby. His interest was clear and immediately on display for all to see, Ruby included. Emma had to give him credit though; Graham held back way longer then most guys did and he wasn't openly ogling her friend, just looking a little longingly at her. Emma decided to throw him a bone for remaining cool when so many others didn't.

"You remember my partner, Ruby Lucas."

"We've met, yeah." Ruby tilted her head slightly and pretended to search his features. Emma could read through the ruse immediately, but to anyone else she would appear totally sincere.

"Have we? Huh, go figure. Anyway, Emma, we should go. Don't want any loose ends on this one." Ruby offered a polite smile to Graham and then warmer ones to the men beside him as she ushered Emma up the steps with little more than a brief goodbye. When they'd made it to the third floor Emma looked for answers.

"What was that about?" Ruby grinned and immediately looked like the cat that caught the canary and Emma's suspicions that her best friend was up to something were confirmed.

"Payback. Last time we 'met' he didn't ask for my number." Emma's jaw dropped, but she regained her composure fast.

"Ruby we were all working a case."

"Right, and the second that case was over he should have asked you for those digits." Emma laughed at the phrasing, knowing that even if it felt ridiculous to her (as someone who never let her professional and personal lives intersect) for Ruby this was totally normal thinking.

"Seriously?" Ruby smirked.

"Just wait. Ten bucks says you get a call by the end of the night and then I get a week's worth of groveling before I finally let him take me out."

Emma knew better than to bet against Ruby on something like this, so instead of doing so she knocked on the door to the apartment of the woman who'd thought there was a fire in the first place. There was yelling going on through the doorway but it was too muffled to make out the words. It faded as soon as Emma's knuckles rapped at the hard wood and seconds later the door opened to reveal a very small old woman. When she made eye contact with Emma and then Ruby her bothered expression immediately looked contrite and apologetic and her voice went up an octave into sweet old-lady territory.

"You must be the detectives. I can't begin to tell ya how sorry I am. My grandson doesn't mean to be a nitwit, he just hasn't got a single brain cell in that thick skull of his." The kindness she'd extended to Emma and Ruby shifted back to frustration as she turned around and shook her fist in his direction.

"A lot of men have that problem, ma'am. We just have to ask a few questions and make sure everything's all clear for paper work and such. You understand," Ruby offered.

"Oh honey, I do. I used to work at the state house as a clerk and I've always said that if there's a God, there will be no paperwork past the pearly gates."

Emma appreciated that the woman was so amiable to their questions. Sometimes they got saddled with problematic witnesses, but this woman was charming in that typical Boston way. She was brash and she said what she was thinking, but Emma knew deep down she had a good heart and loved her grandson. It was, as expected, a pretty routine false alarm, but as Ruby took notes on the situation, Emma asked to check out the fire escape itself. When she got the all clear to do so she moved to the window and shimmied it open before slipping outside and walking into an unexpected wall.

"Easy there, love."

 _Oh shit!_ That voice was enough to make Emma a little week in the knees, and between the accent and the rumble in his chest that she was still flush against Emma felt this energy and simultaneous comfort she'd never experienced. It was… _intriguing_ , and something she had a hard time moving away from but after a second Emma stepped back and her eyes flicked up to the man who'd uttered those three simple words. When her gaze met his her heart skipped almost painfully.

There were very few moments when Emma felt thrown in the line of duty or in life at all. She prided herself on being strong and stable, unshakeable even in the most trying of times, but right now she was anything but. Her heart was pounding, her mouth had suddenly gone dry, and her mind was racing a mile a minute, talking about how no man had a right to look this good and in a fireman's outfit to boot.

With dark hair and more than the shadow of a beard, he wasn't rugged per se, but manly and strong. She felt this kind of magnetic presence being so close to him but it wasn't threatening to anything except maybe her self-control. She'd met a lot of good looking guys in her life, hell she'd been surrounded by cops and firefighters since she was a little kid, but there was something so different about this guy, this stranger with arresting blue eyes that held hers captive for just a beat too long.

"Apologies, love. I wasn't expecting you." Emma blinked and regained her composure, trying her best not to do something stupid like blush as she did.

"You're new." The man smiled, with one corner of his mouth tipping up to one side and he shuffled his gear around to extend his hand in greeting.

"Killian Jones at your service."

Emma glanced at his hand and wondered if this guy was for real. Then she remembered that he was probably too new to realize who she was and why this was a no go. Once he did connect the dots he'd pull back she was sure, but for now Emma had this need she couldn't quite explain. She wanted to go along with this feeling, even though it went against her M.O. entirely. So she gave him her hand in return and felt a rush of warmth when they made contact. She was shocked and a little overwhelmed, but it was clear that her new acquaintance was right there with her. Killian had no poker face at all, and she watched his wave of shock and then something like hunger before eventually pulling back and trying to put some of her professional walls back up.

"You realize sergeants don't usually do this part right? No matter how new you are there's got to be some low man on the ladder to hand this off to."

Killian (God even his freaking name was hot) grinned and ran a hand through his hair, which was so dark and just a little too long to be strictly appropriate for the firehouse. Emma balled her fingers into a fist to stifle the crazy and ridiculous itch she had to see how it felt under her fingertips.

"Their set up wasn't up to code. I thought I'd help them out so in case there's ever an actual emergency, they can get out safely." Emma looked over to where Killian gestured and saw that there were some newer bolts in the ladder now. She wondered how he'd even had the materials on hand to do this kind deed but decided to deflect from her being impressed at his caring.

"Hero complex?" Emma asked and Killian looked confused.

"I'm sorry?"

"Some guys get one in your line of work. They think they can save everyone and that they're the only ones who can. They take on too much alone and it messes with their heads."

Emma didn't think Killian was that kind of guy (not that she could provide a real reason why past him not looking like a raging narcissist) but she wanted to see how he would handle her in interrogation mode. Most people cowered when she did this, but he stayed calm and didn't flinch in the slightest. It was an incredible turn on.

"Well those men are fools. Some people can't be saved… and some people don't need to be. They've got it handled themselves." Emma couldn't help but think that last part was meant for her, but before she could ask him about his reasons behind the charged statement, Ruby appeared in the window.

"Emma if you fell down the fire escape I swear -,"

Ruby stopped short when she saw that Emma wasn't alone and after half a second of surprise she started sporting a familiar grin. Emma tried to harden herself to Killian before it was too late but it was useless; Ruby knew something was up and that guaranteed her being a huge pain in Emma's ass for a good long time. She was never going to live this down (because for years she'd been stressing no warm, fuzzy feelings on a case no mater what), and now her only hope was to bail and fast before Ruby caused a scene, or worse, flirted on Emma's behalf.

"I'm all set here. You good Ruby?" Her friend looked from Killian who she was ogling openly to Emma and saw her seriousness. Thankfully Ruby took pity on her and nodded.

"All clear here."

Ruby threw her one last smirk and then ducked back inside but as Emma turned to go she felt Killian's hand at her wrist. It wasn't a harsh hold in any way, and her body reveled in that same spark that had been there before, but she felt a wave of trepidation. Looking at him again was going to be fantastic and terrifying all at once. Still Emma had to be strong and so she faced him head on with what she hoped was a firm gaze.

"Did you need something?" she asked and Killian smiled softly at her. Instantly she felt bad for the edge she'd just had in her voice.

"Just to say thank you." Emma's brow furrowed.

"For what?" He let go of her hand and stepped backwards, heading towards the ladder of the fire escape with entirely too much swagger for a mortal, ordinary man.

"Usually a false alarm would be tedious. Today has been anything but."

Emma ducked her chin in a bit, breaking eye contact and feeling like a freaking teenager under the intensity of his blue gaze. The worst part was he was being totally honest. Killian had game, yes, but he wasn't a liar and that made the thrill that went through Emma so much harder to regret. There were sirens going off in her head saying that he was trouble and a threat to the way she had always conducted herself on the force, but the attraction between them was somehow stronger and this weird sense of trust was already there between them, muting her internal warning bells enough for her to try and say goodbye.

"Right. Well, I guess I'll see you around." She offered casually and he dropped all the cockiness to look at her sincerely.

"I hope so, Emma."

Before she could make more of a fool out of herself, Emma moved back inside and shut the window, pausing when she did to catch her breath and get herself together. She let herself linger on the feelings that had fluttered through her chest when he said her name like that, and she wished that they could stay because it felt so right. _Killian_ felt so right, but for what Emma couldn't say, and it definitely was not the time to be having an internal dialogue about hot guys in the workplace. When she turned back around and saw Ruby with a shit-eating grin on her face she jumped, another very unusual thing for Emma.

"Don't start." Emma warned as they moved out of the apartment and back through the stairwell.

"I didn't say anything!" Ruby offered with her hands up.

"You were going to." Ruby laughed at Emma's assessment.

"I _am_ going to. I'm just going to wait until we're not surrounded by dreamy guys who made you blush." Emma turned to her friend and pointed a finger her way.

"I did _not_ blush!"

"Oh honey, you so totally did. But _shh_ , or Sergeant Sexy is going to hear you." They were back outside moving to their car and there, just as Ruby expected, was Killian standing by his truck with some of the other guys from the firehouse. Their eyes caught again and he offered her a friendly wave that Emma returned as Ruby chuckled beside her.

"Ooo girl, you're in trouble," she whispered and Emma heard the niggling voice in the back of her mind saying that yeah, she very well might be.

…

Every firehouse Killian had ever belonged to had a local spot – a pub or a bar that the crew frequented after a long shift or in times of celebration. Boston's sixty-first was no different, but there was something to be said for this hole in the wall they called their home away from home.

It might not be pretty or particularly nice, but the feel inside of _JR's Tavern_ was perfect in Killian's mind. There was that necessary combination of mutual respect between his firehouse mates and the rest of the clientele, but there was also a line drawn. Killian could already see that on their worst days (days that were always coming down the pike in this line of work) they'd find some sort of peace here. It wasn't filled with nosey busy bodies, but people trying to go about their business. This was a welcome relief for Killian, who'd struggled with that in past assignments.

This new position, however, was bound to be different than all his ones before. For one thing he was a sergeant now, and that in itself was an adjustment. New expectations, new procedures, they were all factors in his blending in with a new squad, but Killian was a quick study and more than anything he had the experience both back in London and in New York where he'd been the last few years.

Killian also prided himself on staying up to date on the science in his job, jumping at the chance for any extra training and for any extra classes he could enroll in. The hope for all of that extra work was that he might someday learn something that could keep all the men and women he worked with alive. Every day they all got home safe was a win, and every day that they helped the people they were sworn to serve was one too. That didn't mean he thought himself a hero, just a man with a code trying to better people's lives when and how he could.

Killian couldn't help but smile as the memory of that detective this afternoon bluntly asking him if he had a hero complex ran through his mind. She was a force of nature, and all it took was one second in her company for Killian to feel more alive than he had in years. Not even the rush of being amongst the lick of flames in a five-alarm blaze compared to the sensation he'd had out there on the fire escape, but she – _Emma_ – was anything but predictable. Like an inferno with no clear source, she'd keep him guessing and clawing for answers, he was certain.

For one thing she was all together too beautiful for his sanity. She'd tried to tone it down slightly (no doubt in the hopes of appearing more professional and competent) but anyone who would doubt that woman after meeting her was a fool. She wore her abilities on her sleeve and practically radiated capability. Nothing escaped her notice in the moments that they'd been out there together, and though there were tiny glimpses of something more vulnerable between them, and even a few wondrous moments of could-be flirting, Emma was largely the dominating force between the pair of them.

Killian meanwhile stood there perilously close to openly gaping at her. He'd largely avoided any sort of emotional attachments as of late, hating the effects that the demands of his job had in any relationship. He'd seen the tolls it took on the men and women that his fellow fighters loved and their families and Killian reasoned there was no one he'd ever want to put through that. Still as he looked in those curious and brilliant jade colored eye's of Emma's and noticed the fullness of her lips and the silkiness of the hair she'd tied back, he found thoughts he'd long ago discarded rushing to the surface. Thoughts about staking a claim and convincing Emma that he was more than an adrenaline junky with a need to put out fires. For her, honestly, Killian could be anything she damn well wanted.

"Oi, Killian!"

Killian glanced up to see his old friend Will Scarlet, another member of the sixty-first and the man who'd put him up for the job here to begin with. He was a British expat too who'd already assimilated to this city after a few years on the force. Will was also the self-proclaimed funny man on the squad but Killian knew that underneath that excess of humor was a fiercely loyal and determined man. Will had fallen into this field because of personal tragedy, but he didn't let it define him. He worked hard to live each day like it was his last, doing his best at work and then living each moment outside of that with the fullness it deserved.

"Aye?"

"You gonna say something? We can't drink until you do, mate." Killian noticed that the others on the squad were looking at him expectantly with their beers in hand. All of them had been incredibly welcoming so far and he grinned and cleared his throat not wanting to let them down.

"Right. Well I guess I'll say thank you all for the drink and I doubt it will be the last you all buy me." Everyone laughed at the jest and Killian sobered some to continue on. "Honestly I appreciate the openness you all have and your quickness to accept someone new like myself. It's an honor to be among you, and I plan to prove my worth to you all before long. You all have my word that I will do my best by this house and this city. To sixty-one."

"To sixty-one!" They all chorused back and took their drinks before letting out a cheer.

It was only about half of the house right now, for the others were on shift, but Killian had already made a pact with the bartender that a tab would be started in his name and that every fighter who wasn't here tonight would still get a drink on him as his new buddies beside him would be getting one. It was customary back home, and felt only right to Killian to bring that tradition over here.

"Rough luck that all you got to see this week was routine drills and a false alarm," one of the younger fighters on the ladder named Gus said and Killian shook his head offering a small smile and his own thoughts.

"Depends how you look at it. Might have been a false alarm but we all came back home."

Gus nodded thoughtfully, and Killian knew the headspace that younger firefighters often had. They were hungry for the action, mostly because they'd yet to have any of the real trauma to could go with it. He didn't fault Gus, however, and Killian honestly hoped Gus never lost that mentality, and that the younger man never lost a person in this job to take away that drive to fight fires every day.

"I'll take a false alarm every hour of every damn day if we get cops like that responding. That Detective Lucas is something, huh?"

Will whistled in appreciation and then got a punch in the arm from one of the few women in the firehouse who everyone lovingly called Tink. She was small by any standard, but she was tough as nails and a fighter through and through. Killian had instantly taken a liking to her, and her silently but forcefully reprimanding Will for the comments now only solidified that more. Will winced and rubbed his arm after she made contact as Graham growled out a reply that was unexpected.

"In your dreams, Scarlet." Killian wasn't used to any sort of dark emotion from Graham. The lieutenant was kind and mostly quiet if a bit more serious than most of the others. This felt hostile though, but Will laughed all the same.

"No Graham, in _yours_. What are you waiting for on that anyway? You should have locked her down months ago when you had the chance." Graham stared at his phone and blatantly ignored Will's jest so Killian took the opportunity to divert attention for Graham's sake and to get the information he himself had been wanting all day without seeming too suspicious.

"And what of her partner?"

"Oh you mean Emma?" Killian nodded, trying to give off an air of not really caring even though he was desperate for more information on her. "She's a looker for sure with brass balls to match and a stubborn streak that knows no end, but she's off-limits."

Killian raised a brow at Will's words but everyone around seemed to agree with him. This was strange to Killian and he felt a need to know why anyone thought that was the case, because the idea of not pursuing Emma weighed on him like a ton of bricks. Then the worst-case scenario flashed into his mind:

"Is she married?" It hurt to even consider that possibility, and there had definitely been no ring on the lady's finger today when he checked, though Killian knew of some cops who took them off in the line of duty. Firefighters did the same thing, though Killian couldn't help thinking he wouldn't want to if he'd finally married a woman he truly loved.

"Ha! That's rich. No, mate, Emma Nolan is definitely _not_ married. I doubt the woman's ever dated given her parents. They're not exactly the most accessible, easy to impress people."

"Her parents?" Killian asked, confused. Why would a grown woman's parents play into this in the slightest? And why did that last name sound slightly familiar?

"Yeah her parents. Her Mum's the police superintendent and her Dad's the district chief." _Fuck!_

" _Our_ district chief?" Killian asked after choking a bit on his beer and Will nodded.

"The very same."

 _Bloody hell!_ Well that was a bit of a problem wasn't it? Though Killian couldn't help thinking that it wasn't enough to keep him from wanting her. With another woman he'd have taken the hit and walked away, but the idea of not seeing Emma again or feeling that same rush of warmth that came when he'd taken her hand today cut him to the core. He had never been the kind of man to cut and run when he felt strongly, and there was simply nothing that compared to meeting her today. He had to see her again.

"Before she was made detective people called her the princess. They said her parents were like some sort of Boston bureaucratic royalty and she was just their legacy getting preferential treatment."

Graham offered the intel like it was nothing at all, but Killian's fingers clenched around his glass, his anger rising. He hated the thought that Emma was judged for something she couldn't help. Hell, he barely even knew the woman, but he knew in his heart she hadn't deserved that kind of response from her peers. She was exceptional. Why couldn't they see that?

"But something changed?" Killian asked, hoping for some resolution other than Emma's being maligned unfairly.

"Yeah it did. Emma told every last asshole who said that shit where they could shove it, and then made detective at a younger age than any other person in her district. She's kind of my hero," Tink said jovially before waving the bartender over for another drink.

Killian grinned at that, knowing without doubt that Emma could handle herself. It bothered him that people had judged her, but it made him weirdly proud that she'd handled herself. Not that he had anything to do with it, but he liked knowing that Emma was strong enough to speak her mind and push back when other's wanted to box her in. That wasn't an easy feat for anyone, but it only proved to Killian what he already suspected – Emma Nolan was special.

"Well Tink, you can be sure to tell her all about it at that bloody gala we've all got next week. Remind me again why we're going to that?" Graham snickered into his beer as Killian replied.

"Because it's sixty-one's turn to represent this year… and because there's an open bar and decent food." Will looked merrier already.

"Well I'll drink to that!"

The crew laughed at the frivolity of Will's wants and wishes, but the night passed pleasantly from there on out, and for Killian there was a new form of hope: because now he knew there was a moment coming when he'd see Emma again, and he had a few days yet to figure out exactly how to show her there was something between them worth exploring no matter what might stand in their way.

 _ **Post-Note: So there we have it. I want to thank my lovely readers who asked for this kind of story. It's different then the other stuff I'm writing, which is always good for my muse. It will also likely be a little shorter than my typical stories, but I promise it will pack the usual smuffy goodness my others always aim for. Anyway let me know what you guys think and thank you all for reading!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Hey everyone! So this chapter brings us to the gala I hinted at last week. As such it's going to give us another CS moment and a bit of a confrontation about what exactly is going on between them. Of course there's also some more Ruby humor, the appearance of Emma's parents, and some mutual CS pining (because who doesn't love that?). Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**_

"Thank you all so much for coming out tonight. I know it's hardly the easiest thing for most of you to make it here given your hectic schedules, but I can promise you a pleasant evening if you just bear with me a moment."

The room filled with applause and good humor at the mayor's words and Emma clapped along even though she saw right through Arthur King. He might have some real ideals underneath it all and a want to change this city for the better, but King was a politician through and through. Emma could read his want for more than a simple mayorship all over him, from the meticulously tailored tux to the carefully chosen wife who appeared adequately doting. Maybe it was wrong of Emma to be this cynical, but she swore she could see in the mayor's wife's gaze that any love between the pair of them cooled a long time ago, leaving nothing but political aspirations and public appearances to keep up.

"This city is a place near and dear to every one of us. We all work to see it safe and protected, to see it changing for the better, and moving towards a future we can all defend. But sometimes, we have to put the city aside and shine a light on the good people who make any of our progress and continued stability possible. We are blessed in Boston to have the best of the best in our fire and police departments. You do us all a great service and tonight we honor that."

"God this guy is laying it on thick. When's he up for reelection?" Ruby whispered and Emma smiled, loving that she could always depend on her best friend to see things her way.

"November," Emma confirmed.

"There we go. So we've got a solid six more minutes of him verbally making love to us all, AKA six more minutes of waiting to drink this champagne. I did not pregame enough for this." Emma bit back a laugh at that and looked over at Ruby curiously.

"You pre-gamed for a work function?" Emma asked, not sure if she admired her friend's boldness or pitied her desperation to not be sober at this gala.

"No, thus my problem. I clearly should have but I didn't realize this guy was such a windbag."

Ruby wasn't wrong in her assertions, and her guess of how long the mayor would go on talking was scarily accurate. Right at the six-minute mark King finally raised his glass up, allowing everyone else to do so before toasting both departments and giving them the freedom to move about the space. It was a relief to not be at attention, and Emma felt herself losing some of the tension in her shoulders even if she would never be fully relaxed here in this room with all these people.

"I still can't believe you're wearing red," Ruby murmured happily and Emma groaned, looking back down at her dress.

The gown was gorgeous to be fair, and bold in both color and cut, but Emma still considered it the enemy. It was too formal and expensive for her to not worry about it, and it also had the added bonus of drawing people's attention since the moment she walked through the door. What Emma wouldn't give to be in jeans and a t-shirt or even her work clothes right now, but if she'd shown up in that her mother might have died from shock and then subsequent despair, and they couldn't have that.

"I still can't believe I let you convince me to. You know it kind of looks like we're matching, right? I figured when you said 'wear red' you'd lay off it for one night." Ruby completely ignored Emma's statement and looked back at the crowd of people, prompting Emma to do the same.

Emma knew she should be used to events like this by now. The excess and the showiness were a part of necessary fundraising and 'public imaging' for the city and for its rescue forces, but it just didn't feel natural. Despite her having been a guest at these things for years, she always felt like she stuck out, and not just because of how different she looked from her normal state. Tonight was also one of the only nights a year when that the BPD and the BFD crossed paths in such a setting, and when that was the case, the talk of her relationship to her parents always flared back up again.

 _No, Emma. We are not going down that road. They only have the power to make you feel inferior if you give it to them. Screw what everyone thinks._

"If you keep fidgeting like that, people are gonna know you're uncomfortable and you'll lose your badass reputation, which means I will lose _my_ badass reputation."

Ruby's words pulled an eye roll from Emma instinctively, but she knew her friend was right. Emma needed to get it together and not because of what everyone would think, but for one person in particular. Her mother was moving about the crowd currently, schmoozing and entertaining everyone she met and it would hurt her to see Emma looking so uncomfortable. Mary Margaret Nolan was an exceptional police officer, truly inspiring in so many ways, but she was also built for the top brass. She could charm anyone with that hopeful yet forceful personality of hers and she had such high hopes for Emma to someday walk that same path. Meanwhile Emma doubted she'd ever aspire to such a future. She wanted to make a difference on the ground, not in policy or public affairs as both her parents did.

"Is it really badass to wear four inch heels you can't run in and a dress so tight your lungs might collapse? I couldn't even bring my side arm, Ruby. I might as well be naked," Emma said and Ruby practically cackled she was laughing so hard. People began looking over in their direction and many gazes lingered on the two of them once they made their way here, which made Emma tenser.

"Yes, Emma. Dressing to kill is the definition of badass, and you will see that as soon as we get a little booze in you. Come on. I know a guy."

Ruby pulled Emma with her from the swarms of people in the ballroom to the bar and saddled up to it with complete control. Emma had seen this routine a million times before from her friend and it always ended in Ruby getting exactly what she wanted. Ruby flashed a warm, inviting smile to the slight, middle-aged bartender who looked a little shell shocked and then made her needs known in a friendly, borderline flirtatious manner.

"Hey Archie. I need you to hook me up with the best champagne you guys have got. Whatever the mayor's having. None of that normal stuff they give us commoners," Ruby's words pulled a small smile from the man she offered them to.

"There is nothing common about you Detective," the man offered in a sheepish tone, but Emma gave him kudos for saying anything at all. He didn't seem brave enough for it by the looks of him, but awkward or not he managed and Emma had definitely watched men crash and burn harder with Ruby plenty of times.

"So you'll do it?" Ruby asked and Archie pushed his glasses further up his face before nodding and giving them a signal that he needed a moment.

"You are so bad, you know that?" Emma asked when the man moved down the bar and Ruby looked stricken.

"Who me? I'm just giving the man a little spice in his life tonight, Emma. Now he gets to tell people he flirted with the best looking woman in the city." The hyperbolic words immediately prompted a laugh from Emma. Ruby wasn't actually so full of herself, but she did know her worth, which was a critical character trait to be a woman in their line of work and climb the ladder of success.

"So if Graham asks again about the competition I shouldn't mention this guy?" Emma rebutted.

"Hardly. Besides, Graham is not happening." Ruby was totally full of shit to the point where she could barely keep a straight face.

"I think the gifts he sent to you at the station all week tell a different story," Emma pointed out as Archie handed them their flutes and Ruby thanked him sweetly before leaving him once and for all.

"What would _say_ something is Graham getting off his ass and making a real move. I mean I like chocolate as much as the next girl, but I like sex more." Ruby's cavalier phrasing had Emma almost choking on her drink, but she kept it together in the end.

" _Jesus_ Ruby. You could at least have the decency to lower your voice," Emma claimed, looking around the room to make sure no one had caught that.

"What? It's true," Ruby said earnestly. 

"I would ask what 'it' is, but I take it by the look on my daughter's face that you've thoroughly scandalized her." Emma closed her eyes for a second, willing herself to keep her cool with her mother here now before turning to face her.

"Just doing my job, Ma'am," Ruby said with a grin and Mary Margaret smiled in return before looking to Emma with a happy expression and misty eyes.

"Emma, honey, you look so beautiful tonight."

Immediately some of Emma's tension about the evening dissipated. Her mom was a certifiable legend in this department with the decorations and amazing case record to match. She was the picture of strength and proof that a woman was just as capable of being a hero and donning this uniform as any man, but Mary Margaret Nolan always allowed herself to be vulnerable, especially with her daughter. Those happy tears and the look of pride were frequently apparent in Emma's life, and they were a balm of sorts for so many of the insecurities Emma had grown up with and started her career in law enforcement carrying. Even now that Emma was older and wiser, that look of love from her mom was a powerful thing.

"Thanks, Mom. Did you lose Dad already?" Emma asked as she accepted her mother's hug.

"Not likely. You know your father. He's always got an eye on things. I'm actually surprised that he's not here right now. I don't usually make it this long in a conversation without him turning up."

Emma grinned at that, knowing it was true. Her parents might be independent people with their own careers and interests, but the love between them was strong. Even all these years later Emma believed they had as much passion and pull to each other as they always had. It was a beautiful thing for sure, but it also made everything that much harder for Emma. Knowing love like that existed meant comparing each relationship in her life to an impossible standard. Lightening never struck twice, and her family had probably already used up its true love quota by now.

"Looks like he got cornered, poor thing," Ruby said and all three women looked over to see her father appearing painfully bored beside Arthur King. The mayor was chattering away happily and Emma's father was staring their way, clearly wanting to be with his family and not his new boss.

"Oh David. I better go rescue him. Emma, you know the rule. Make sure to come say goodbye to your father and I before you go…"

"Or next time I have to make the rounds with you. Got it Mom," Emma replied evenly. Mary Margaret smiled warmly and took Emma's hand in hers squeezing it lightly before looking back at Ruby.

"I'm assuming I can trust you to help Emma have some fun, right Ruby?" Emma stifled an eye roll at the planning going on around her like she wasn't even here.

"Not exactly an easy task, but I think we'll manage," Ruby offered jovially and Mary Margaret smiled once more before making her escape to go and save her husband. "Alright. Now that we've got the necessary parental check-in out of the way, I say we do a little damage. She practically begged us to after all."

"And how exactly do you propose we go that?" Emma asked, partially intrigued and partially terrified as she finished her glass of champagne.

"We've got two options – swarm the waiters bringing the food out and steal all the shrimp cocktail for ourselves…" Ruby sounded almost wistful at the prospect and Emma laughed genuinely at her friends' constant need for food.

"Or…?" Ruby looked disappointed for only a second before her eyes lit up with amusement and a wicked sense of plotting. Oh crap. Emma knew that look and where it turned up, trouble usually followed. She definitely should have chosen the shrimp idea.

"You know the sixty-first are here tonight, right?" Ruby asked and Emma felt her tummy flutter at the mention of the specific department. She played it cool though, not wanting her friend to have any more fodder for the teasing she'd been dishing out ever since they ran into that false alarm last week.

"Oh? I didn't realize it was their year."

"Bull shit! There's no way your Dad didn't mention it at your family dinner Tuesday, but I'll let that slide. You know what them being here means, don't you?" Ruby asked as her eyes scanned through the crowd. Emma felt her nerves flaring more with every second that past.

"That you can finally put Graham out of his misery and give him the time of day?"

"Maybe. But I was thinking more along the lines of you finding Sergeant Sexy and telling him how you've been day dreaming about him all week."

The reference to Sergeant Killian Jones sent that same thrill and surge of butterflies through Emma that it had every time Ruby teased her this past week, but on the outside Emma was stony and gave absolutely nothing away. She had perfected her poker face by now, but she had to admit even the mention of Killian tested its strength. After all, Ruby was right. Her mind had been problematically prone to wandering towards him this week, and in both down time and in the field she'd found her still largely mysterious foreign acquaintance popping into her thoughts more than he should. 

"Now you've really lost it," Emma tossed back, still attempting to sound unaffected.

"Have I? So if you saw him tonight you're telling me there'd be no spark. Everything I saw on the fire escape was just a one time thing?"

No it definitely was not. Emma had no doubt in her mind that if she did see Killian again she'd feel that same zing of awareness and rush of adrenaline, but that didn't mean she was willing to air that out to anyone. Actually, she was rather excited to just avoid it forever and pretend it never happened rather than opening herself up to something between them only for him to pull back. And he _would_ pull back. As soon as Killian drew the connection between her and her father he'd be nothing but professional and polite and the idea of that made her heart ache in an unfamiliar way.

"All you saw on the fire escape was two people who were working the same case. It's that simple."

Ruby's eyes immediately moved from watching Emma lie to glancing at the ceiling with a feigned level of concern. It caused Emma to furrow her brow and ask what her friend was doing.

"I'm waiting for the smite from God because that was a hell of a lie, Emma. Really a doozy."

"Screw you," Emma shot back and Ruby laughed again before her eyes stopped on something in the crowd and her smile grew.

"I won't, but he _totally_ will. Damn, Sergeant Sexy cleans up nice."

Emma's heart thumped loudly in her chest and she felt the butterflies in her stomach spiraling a bit, but she was almost helpless in what came next. Her head turned of its own volition and when her gaze caught on Killian across the way, she felt his appreciative look down to her core. The heat in his gaze was undeniable, and even at a distance Emma found herself flushing with the unspoken promises that his look held. She wanted to linger in this interlude forever and then step forward to him and beg for more, but she was caught where she was, just waiting for something – _anything_ – to happen.

"Whew. We are very lucky this place is filled with firefighters because you two are going to burn this place down with all that chemistry. Yikes!" Ruby professed, the teasing in her voice more than evident.

Emma pulled her eyes from Killian (though it was surprisingly hard to do so) and she searched for a weapon of her own. She didn't have to look far, because right at that moment Graham was approaching them from the other side of the room. And the best part was Ruby had no idea so _she_ could be the one all flustered and full of jumbled nerves for once. Ruby definitely deserved it too after all the jokes she'd tossed Emma's way all week.

"Detective Lucas," Graham said when he arrived and Emma bit back a laugh when Ruby actually startled. It was an almost impossible feat to sneak up on Ruby but Graham had done it and now he was about to show her why making him wait might not have been the best idea.

"Shit! I mean… hey Lieutenant. Enjoying your evening?" Ruby asked in a tone of voice that wasn't as controlled as she wanted.

"I will be once you dance with me."

"Oh – uh – well I -,"

This was too rich. A stuttering Ruby - who knew that was even possible? Definitely not Emma, and she watched as the surprise and yearning on her friend's face grew more pronounced when Graham took her hand in his and silenced Ruby's mutterings completely.

"I'll take that as a yes. Emma." Graham didn't so much as look her way but he nodded his acknowledgement of her being there while keeping his eyes trained on Ruby. Then he brought Ruby to the dance floor leaving Emma behind and still reveling in the turned tables.

Emma watched them go and couldn't help but love this. It felt like the sweetest of victories after the almost constant torment from Ruby over Emma's interaction with Killian that the past few days had brought. But the satisfied 'I told you so' feeling gave way to a shiver of anticipation after only a moment when a familiar voice addressed Emma from behind.

"We meet again, love," Killian said, and though his words were low Emma could have sworn they drowned out ever other sound in the ballroom. She hesitated only a moment before turning to him, trying to get her bearings, but she wasn't ready to see him like this.

Up close he was even more attractive, and though Emma knew she'd always have a soft spot for the way he'd looked in his gear the other day, this look easily rivaled it in the hotness department. A well-fitted suit was usually a boost to any man, but with one so handsome as Killian it was frankly unfair. He looked clean cut in his official blues yet still a bit like a bad boy with a swagger no guy should be allowed to wield, and Emma found it hard not to let her gaze linger on the way the lines of the suit highlighted the body she'd already noticed before. Not that his face was any easier to take in without giving herself away, but damn it she had to try.

"Sergeant Jones," she replied, hearing the gravel that had set in her voice that wasn't there mere moments ago.

"Killian, please." The sincere request falling from Killian's lips made Emma's mind spin that much faster, but she clutched at something to say that would hopefully move her past this haze of inopportune attraction.

"Are you settling in alright at the sixty-first, _Killian_?" Emma asked, purposefully emphasizing his name. She didn't expect the flash of fire that seemed to burn in his blue eyes when she said it, but it only stoked the sense of wanting more in her when it appeared.

"Aye. It's a good house in a passionate city. I've yet to see anything in my travels that I haven't appreciated. Some things more than others." Emma felt like he was alluding to the moment that they met with the way he looked at her so intently, but before she could ask him directly, he pivoted. "But forgive me, I didn't make my way here to bore you with the details of my assimilation."

Emma felt a frown coming on. She wouldn't be bored to hear about his week. Actually she found herself wanting to know more about Killian and whether he was liking it here. Then she saw the change in his expression and she realized that whatever he was after was no doubt more important than a rundown of his last few weeks.

"So why did you?"

"To tell you that you cut quite the figure in that dress, and to ask you to make me the envy of every man in this room and dance with me."

 _Well shit. When he put it like that…_

….

 _God she's lovely._

The word didn't do Emma justice in this moment or in any moment really. Killian knew from the first time that fate brought them together that Emma was the most beautiful woman he had ever met, but standing here looking nothing short of magnificent in a red dress, with those golden curls of hers pinned back but lose around her face, she was something else entirely. He'd had his eyes on her since the moment she walked in the door, and for the first twenty minutes or so Killian had to fight to keep himself in check. It took everything in him not to cross the floor to her immediately, but he waited, watching to make sure that no one bothered her, or worse, asked her to dance when he had ideas of keeping him all to himself tonight.

Now he was waiting again, having just asked her to dance and the few seconds it took for Emma to respond to him were raddled with a whole host of emotions for Killian. The guiding one was a lack of patience. He felt strung out already from the sheer amount of waiting he'd done up to this point. All week he had Emma on the brain and he'd been debating seeking her out before now, but he reasoned that with a woman like Emma, the key was playing the long game. He couldn't rush her into anything for risk of scaring her off, and the idea of Emma ever truly running from him hurt worse than the days he'd gone without so much as a word or glance of her.

Even his proposal just now had been a risk. It was a bold statement and hardly guarded in his intentions, but there was a need from deep in Killian's soul to be completely honest with Emma. She deserved nothing less than the truth, and he could also sense that she valued honesty above all else. Those knowing eyes of hers spoke to an unwillingness to face deception, and her vigilance hinted at her having been hurt before. Killian wanted nothing to do with injuring Emma in any way. In fact he wanted quite the opposite, and he believed he might begin to proctor that with a dance, if only she would say…

"Yes."

Her one word reply changed everything. One moment Killian had been wrapped up in the chance that Emma might say no, and the next he was elated, reaching for her hand and finding that same thrum of need jumping to the surface when their fingers met. It was a bloody miracle honestly that he even managed to decipher where the dance floor was once they touched, but through some higher power he got them there and then pulled Emma further into his arms for the dance he'd been dreaming of all evening.

Fantasy in no way matched the real thing, however, and as he held Emma closer to him, Killian marveled at his stroke of good fortune. Emma was sublime, a taste of heaven itself, and there was no thought in his mind about who her family was or what the word around the firehouse was when she was in his arms. All that he had room for in his life in this moment was Emma, and he tried to find words to keep her engaged when she surprised him with her own comment.

"I can't believe I agreed to this," Emma murmured, stoking that tiny bit of anxiety inside of him.

"Regretting your choice already, love?" Killian felt his breath catch at the possibility but the small smile and the shake of her head that followed put him back at ease.

"No I just don't really dance. Honestly I didn't think I could."

That claim perplexed him greatly, for as far as Killian was concerned, Emma was the single best dance partner he'd ever had. She was light on her feet, swaying in perfect time to the band that was playing before them, and she was just close enough to tantalize him into a state of near frenzy, while being far enough away to keep things appropriate for their surroundings. Had she not been leading the charge on that part in particular, Killian didn't know how far he'd go. This moment felt like everything and yet only the barest taste of what they could have given the chance.

"Seems to me you're a natural," Killian countered and Emma's smile grew.

"Or maybe I just have a good partner," she teased lightly and Killian felt pride flood his chest.

"I'll take all the compliments I can get. They'll be useful later when I try and convince you to have a drink with me."

A flash of wanting moved across her expression but it was quickly covered up in a show of guardedness. Killian felt Emma give a little sigh that spoke to disappointment. He wanted to know what could have possibly brought those walls of hers back up. Had he said something? Had the invitation for a drink been too much too soon? Whatever it was, Killian would fix it. He could learn what he'd bungled up and make up for it, if only Emma gave him the chance.

"Let's just stick with the dance for now."

The thought of ending this with just a dance cut Killian more than he could say. He might not know Emma very well at this point, but he felt absolutely certain that he was meant to. She was important, different, a bright spot in a world that for him had been largely filled with sameness, and he didn't want to turn away from that light now that he'd found it.

"Is this your way letting me down easy and kindly telling me you're not interested?"

A less enthusiastic man would have let Emma's statement stand without asking for more information, but Killian was in this too deep to just let it be. If Emma truly didn't want him he'd accept that, but the signs to now had pointed to her being interested and if there was even a chance that she could care for him as he had started to already care for her then he wanted to seek that out.

"No I just – there's some things about me that I don't think you realize."

"Things?" he asked, looking for some more clarity and Emma looked away, taking the comfort those green pools in her eyes brought him every time they were cast his way.

"It's complicated." Emma's voice was filled with a sadness and a level of resignation that made him hurt for her. Killian hated seeing Emma in a state of defeat, and he wracked his brain about what could cause walls like these.

"Is this about your parents?" he asked and her eyes immediately flew back to his.

"You know?!" Emma replied, clearly astounded.

"I do, but I fail to see how they should impede us if you feel as I do."

"And how do you feel?" Emma asked, her voice barely a whisper, her walls slipping lower as she did whether she realized it or not. Killian's hand that was at the small of her back ran lightly against the material of her dress, provoking a shiver he felt coursing through her body.

"Like walking away simply isn't an option, love. There's something here, at least on my end."

This was another risk for Killian, confessing his desire for more between them and the intensity of his feelings this early in the game, but the pay off was exceptional when Emma's smile returned and she leaned a little closer to him. In that moment Killian knew he was addicted to this, to bringing Emma any kind of happiness. It felt as remarkable as successfully navigating a fire. Like getting every man and woman out of a hazardous building and then getting his brothers and sisters in uniform home safe after a bitter battle with the flames. It was hope incarnate and Killian found himself swearing then and there that he'd do whatever it took to give Emma causes to smile just like that as long as he could.

"I-," Emma's words died away as the rapid _click click click_ of a camera went off beside them and both Killian and Emma turned to the perpetrator now focusing his lens on them.

"Oh shoot. I didn't mean to interrupt you two. Just ignore me." Killian gritted his teeth.

"We'd be glad to, once you turn around and find another subject."

The man with the camera paled slightly and then shook it away, mumbling that he already had a great shot before scurrying away. Killian had a second of worrying that he'd been too gruff until Emma's throaty chuckle sounded to his ears and he looked back at her and her smile that had reappeared so easily.

"Not bad. Did you ever consider being police? You've got the bad cop routine down pat."

"I think I'll stick with where I am, love," Killian said and Emma's smile turned sultry.

The air between them thickened and Killian felt a need to hear Emma's next words and know the thought behind those emerald eyes. Did she know that he was speaking not only of his job, but of his vicinity to her as well? She must, for her expression right now said a thousand words without uttering a sound.

"Mind if I cut in, Jones?" The statement from beside them made Emma jump but Killian stood his ground as he saw the man who'd asked was none other than Chief Nolan.

Killian had met his district commander once before and the interaction had been nothing but pleasant. David Nolan was known for his tenacity and his dedication to this force above almost all else. A decorated officer who rose through the ranks organically, Chief Nolan was beloved by most every man and woman in the BFD. He was known for being fair and just and for looking out for each one of his team across the city, but right now the kind collectedness Killian recalled was nowhere to be seen. Chief Nolan's mouth was set in a hard line and he bordered on glaring at Killian.

"Not at all, sir," Killian said easily as he stepped back from Emma and met her gaze. "Thank you for the dance, Detective."

"See you around?" Emma asked just as Killian was about to leave and the hope that simple request prompted was profound. It told him that Emma wanted another moment like this, hopefully one that wouldn't be so easily interrupted. Killian nodded at her and then more seriously at her father before retreating while he still could.

It didn't escape Killian's notice on the way to the bar that there were more eyes than usual on him as he cut through the crowd. As a new member of the fire force with a notable title, stares were to be expected, but this was something vastly different than anything Killian had faced before. By the time he reached the bar, ordered a drink, and the bartender placed the glass of rum in front of him, Killian counted more than a dozen nosy neighbors no doubt wondering at his dance with Emma. Let them all wonder though. What he and Emma had shared was none of their bloody business.

A low whistle from behind him alerted Killian to Will's arrival before the man so much as said a word and Killian geared up for some sort of commentary. It would be expecting too much of Scarlet to ask the man to keep his thoughts to himself, and in the end Killian didn't mind setting the record straight with Will. There was a difference between speaking to a friend and pleading his case to a bunch of total strangers.

"You might just be the ballsiest bloke on the whole effing squad, mate. What the hell were you thinking?!" Will's words were coupled with a slight shove to Killian's arm. 

"I was thinking it's none of your business," Killian grumbled, shooting back the rest of his drink and waving at the bartender for another.

"You made it the whole house's business when you bee-lined for the District Chief's daughter after damn well staring at her all night." Killian had to give him that.

"Fine. You want to know what I was thinking?" Killian asked turning to Will, ready to give him the truth straight.

"That's why I asked, ain't it?" Will replied without even a hint of fear in the face of Killian's brusqueness.

"I was thinking for once I'd met someone who means something. I was thinking there's suddenly the possibility for more than just fighting fires in my life. I was thinking Emma's different, and so I don't give a damn who her parents are. Happy?"

Silence from Will passed a moment too long for Killian's liking and he turned back to his friend who had a ridiculous smile on his face. Killian was sure he'd be getting shit about that confession for a while, but he meant every word of it, and he wasn't going to deny the way he felt about Emma to anyone for anything.

"You have got it bad, mate, and trust me I get it. She's pretty enough and smart as a whip, but you know it won't be easy right? You're in uncharted terrain with this one and the going is dangerous."

That was an understatement if ever Killian heard one, and it wasn't just because of her parents. Emma was guarded, her heart hidden under layers and layers that he'd have to ease away, and that challenge would be a formidable one. Proving himself worthy of her trust and convincing her to give him a chance would likely be an uphill battle. That would have been difficult on its own, but throw in the pull her father had on Killian's career and the clear fact that David Nolan didn't appreciate any man making a move on his daughter, and Killian had his work cut out for him.

"She's worth it," Killian offered finally, sure in his decision.

"Well all right then," Will said, leaving Killian to balk at the laid back acceptance.

"That's it? No cautionary tales about how badly this could blow up in my face? No more remarks about the house and the wrath of the higher-ups?" Killian asked.

"Would it make any difference?" his friend countered.

"Not in the slightest," Killian answered honestly.

"Then no. You're a grown man. You can make heads or tails of this mess on your own. No need for me to tell you what's at stake." Will slapped Killian's shoulder in a sort of wordless sendoff and turned to go before looking back and offering one last thing. "Oh and Killian?"

"Yeah?"

"Good luck. I hope it works out in the end."

Killian accepted that and knew that Will was right. If he was to have a chance of making Emma his (and tonight's dalliance had cemented that that was exactly what he wanted), then he would need all the luck he could get, and the acceptance of one amazing woman who currently held all the cards in her hands whether she knew it or not.

 _ **Post-Note: So there we have it. Next chapter will begin that bit of fake-dating I hinted at, but for this chapter I thought a dance and a conversation about Emma and Killian both seeing some sort of future between them was enough to hold me over. I want to thank all of you who reviewed and messaged me about your excitement for this story. I hope you all continue to enjoy and thanks for reading!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Hey everybody! First and foremost I want to thank you all for the support and enthusiasm for this story so far. This chapter picks up the morning after the gala and sets the stage for everything to come. As such it is quite a bit longer than the average chapter will be. Anyway I hope you all enjoy and thanks for reading!**_

If dreams were a window into one's truest desires, than Killian Jones had never wanted anything like he wanted more time in the presence of Detective Emma Nolan. Every night since his meeting her a week before she'd made an appearance in his slumbering thoughts, and every time she was equally enticing, calling to him in a way that nothing and no one ever had before.

Tonight's rendition included Emma in that all-together too alluring crimson dress, her body pressed close to his in that same excruciatingly perfect way. Only this time there was no interruption and no not-so-subtle hint from his boss' boss' boss that Killian's time fraternizing with his daughter was unacceptable. Instead there'd been more moments in Emma's company, or at least there would have been if not for the harsh slap of a something against his chest, forcing Killian awake.

"Bloody hell, Liam! What are you doing?"

Killian growled out the accusatory question as he tried to still his rapidly beating heart. He glanced over at his brother who had a look on his face that was halfway between amusement and judgment. It was very clear to Killian in this moment that staying with his brother and sister-in-law during these first few weeks of transition was a mistake. If a man had his own home, he didn't have anyone throwing things at him. Killian looked down and saw the item in question was a newspaper and he wondered what on earth would prompt this kind of wake up call.

"What? It's not every day my little brother is on the front page of the _Boston_ _Globe_. I thought it called for action."

"Come again?" Killian asked sitting up and unfurling the paper, his tired eyes still adjusting to the light of this new morning.

"That's right Killian. You've hit the big time and all by dating the one woman in the whole bloody city that you shouldn't be going after."

Killian was going to ask what his brother was on about when he saw the picture finally. It was a shot of Emma and Killian dancing last night and his first instinct upon seeing it was real and honest joy. The photograph captured a moment in Killian's life that had been the embodiment of light and goodness. It transported him back to that dance and the way he'd felt invincible with Emma in his arms, and he couldn't help the smile that formed on his face when he looked at this image.

The expressions on both his and Emma's faces spoke to a mutual attraction, and Killian knew that despite her coy refusal to admit that last night, Emma was just as attuned to this thing between them as he was. Only after a few seconds, however, did the real problem click in – the written piece accompanying that picture was not even remotely correct, starting with the caption directly underneath the photo:

 _Sergeant Killian Jones of the sixty-first fire district and Detective Emma Nolan, daughter of District Fire Chief David Nolan and Police Superintendent Mary Margaret Nolan, share a dance together at the Boston Rescue Gala. Sources confirm the two are seeing each other and have been for a few weeks._

"Bloody hell! Is this even a legitimate paper? Who prints a blatant lie like that?" Liam barked out a laugh at Killian's skeptical words.

"It's the city's most trusted outlet and as such most of the state now thinks you two are an item. Not that the picture detracts from that. You're practically mooning all over each other." 

"Fuck off," Killian grumbled as he stepped out of bed and threw more clothes on for the day. His brain was still too foggy to wrap around the current situation, and if he had any chance of fixing this he needed his head on straight. As soon as he'd done that he would find a way to contact Emma, because that was the most important thing to him. Killian needed to see that Emma was okay and that she realized he had nothing to do with this mess.

Moving into the kitchen, Killian was hardly surprised to find Liam's wife Elsa attempting to look busy. She was a lovely woman, easily too good for Killian's often surly brother, but she was also a wee bit nosey and over involved. Elsa had the best intentions, but Killian knew that her still being home meant he had no chance of avoiding this conversation as much as he might like to.

"Good morning, Killian," Elsa offered sweetly. "I made breakfast. Do you want some?"

"No, love. Coffee's fine, thanks." Killian reached for his cup, hoping beyond hope that when he turned back around his family would have dispersed, but instead they were staring at him intently.

"Are you two going to stand there all day or are you going to ask me whatever it is so clearly on your minds?" Killian's permission prompted Elsa into an immediate query.

"When did you two meet?" She asked, trying to tamp down her excitement and failing miserably.

"Last week. Emma and her partner responded to the same false alarm that my unit did." And in doing so, Emma had made this move to Boston all the more enticing. Any remorse or regret Killian might have had in relocating and leaving his old home behind was gone after meeting her, but Killian wasn't about to mention that to Elsa and Liam.

"Oh it's _Emma_ , is it?" Liam asked, hinting that the informality was somehow explicit proof of the article being grounded in fact.

" _Detective Nolan_ and I spoke briefly then and met again last night. That's all."

Only it wasn't. They may only have spent about ten minutes in each other's company, but it was so much more than a fleeting interest, at least on Killian's part. Ten minutes was enough for Killian to know that Emma was different, and that given the chance Killian wanted to explore that more and get to know this woman who to many seemed unknowable.

"So you're not dating her?" Liam asked curiously and Killian barked out a laugh.

"Dating her? I barely managed to dance with her. I don't even think we made it through one song before her father stepped in."

"Chief Nolan saw you?!" Liam and Elsa both yelled at the same time and Killian winced at the loudness of their voices. As assistant district attorneys, it was understandable that they would know who David Nolan was, but this kind of backlash was still unexpected.

"Aye, and before you ask, yes he did look sufficiently menacing for me to end the night at one dance." Killian looked back down at the paper before shaking it angrily and continuing on. "So you can understand my frustration with this – this _rag_ – saying that Emma and I are seeing each other when that hasn't even happened yet."

Killian wasn't sure exactly what he expected his brother and sister-in-law's response to be, but it wasn't a deafening silence from both Liam and Elsa. He looked from the picture back up to them and they both appeared stunned.

"What?" Killian barked out.

"You said _yet_ ," Elsa said, with a smile forming as she did. "And yet means that something _will_ happen. That you want it to happen!"

Killian ran his hand through his hair at her growing giddiness, feeling unsure of himself and the whole bloody situation. Of course he wanted the chance to see if things might progress with Emma. He had thought of little else since meeting her, but he hadn't intended to give that away this morning, and he certainly didn't know how to deal with press coverage like this that was risking the still flimsy foundations he'd laid down with Emma so far.

Liam looked liable to say something, and given his facial features, it would not have been as optimistic or supportive as Elsa's remarks, but before he could Killian's phone rang. Since the only two family members Killian had were here with him, that left only the station, and though he wasn't set to report for another two hours, Killian moved to retrieve the phone from his jacket pocket across the room.

"Jones," Killian gruffly flung the half-assed greeting into the phone.

" _Sergeant Jones, this is Chief Nolan."_ Oh fuck.

"Chief Nolan. What can I do for you, sir?" Killian asked, attempting to keep his cool when this conversation was essentially destined for disaster. He was already starting to get a headache from all of this, and Killian's fingers moved instinctually to his temple trying to massage away the pain forming behind his eyes.

" _Look, Jones, I'll cut to the chase. The press is running with this picture of you and my daughter. I'm sure you've seen it by now."_

"Yes, sir."

" _Well it's caused quite a predicament on my end. On the one hand, the story is obviously incorrect. It's not grounded in the truth, because there's no way one of_ my _men is dating_ my _daughter."_

David's voice through the phone was curt and matter-of-fact and though Killian knew the man was right and that technically he and Emma weren't dating, it still had him bristling all the same. It wasn't a given that no one would date Emma, and frankly Killian didn't care about whatever unspoken mandate there was that Emma be avoided. If she gave any indication of being interested, Killian would move forward, professional consequences be damned.

" _But on the other hand, I've got the mayor's office and my wife insisting this might actually be a good thing."_ What the -

"Sir?" Killian asked, not following the logic on that sudden pivot at all.

" _Apparently the public is eating this up, and both the BPD and city officials seem to believe that's valuable in some way. Our jobs are made easier with the backing of the public as you know, and though I can't imagine why a puff piece like this would make them feel better protected, I know better than to go head to head with my wife. If she thinks it's worth doing, I have to support her, even if I don't like it."_

"Forgive me, Chief. I'm still not entirely sure what you're saying," Killian replied.

" _I'm saying for the time being you're work isn't just at the firehouse. You and Emma will be making appearances together starting with the BPD banquet this weekend. As far as the public is concerned the two of you are together. For now anyway."_

"I'm sorry sir - you want me to date your daughter?" Killian asked and he heard something crash to the ground in the kitchen behind him. He looked to see a shocked Elsa ignoring the cup she'd dropped and eating up every part of this conversation she was privy to.

" _I want you to_ appear _to date my daughter, Killian. This is a job, an assignment. According to your file and your past supervisors who I spoke with all morning, you're a man who can be trusted. I'm trusting you to do right by my daughter. It's not an ideal situation for anyone and in a few weeks we can put it behind us. But for now it is what it is."_

Killian didn't have words for the lingering disbelief about what he was hearing. Honestly, he was still half-asleep at this point, waiting for this to all be some kind of dream. But it wasn't. His commander was currently on the phone asking him to date his daughter – or to fake date her? It was such a mess to be honest, and every damn line was blurring at this point. Especially when Killian had a real and growing interest in Emma.

From where Killian was standing though, he had two options, be the man his former bosses had painted him as and move forward with honesty and openness, or submit to this order and potentially break a promise to Chief Nolan when it came to Emma. Because even if this was a bloody horror show in many ways, it still didn't change Killian's attraction, and it didn't change the fact that if Emma was open to it, he would try to convince her to give this a real go.

"Chief, at the risk of angering you I feel it's only right for me to tell you that I asked your daughter to dance for a reason last night." 

" _You're interested in her, I know. I don't like it, but I'm also not blind, Jones."_ The tone in David's voice was cold, but Killian could tell it was foreign to the man. Clearly the Chief wasn't angry or disappointed often.

"And still you're giving me this assignment?"

" _It has to be you because of that picture. And as for Emma, she can handle herself. She's old enough to make her own decisions, and old enough to set you straight if you disrespect her. But don't be fooled, if anyone hurts my daughter they answer to me, and that goes double for men in my units."_

"Understood, sir."

With that Chief Nolan gave Killian a short goodbye and left him standing there in the living room trying to wrap his mind around the new situation. Killian would have benefited from a few minutes alone to work it out, but in seconds Liam and Elsa were both on him, with more questions and more unsolicited insights. Unsurprisingly Elsa was all positives and Liam was wary and cautious, but each of them seemed to lack the understanding that Killian didn't want to hear anything from anybody right now. The only opinion that mattered to him in this moment was Emma's. Everything else was white noise, and would remain that way until he'd spoken to her.

Finally Killian had to make an excuse about going to the firehouse early just to get out of there, and when he did he allowed himself to plan out what he would do next. The critical thing was seeing Emma, and if he hadn't heard from her by lunch, he'd take his time today to go down to her district. But one way or another he had to see her, and when he did he had to make Emma see that despite the complications, this thing between them was still worth the risk. For even though everything had changed, none of the important things were altered. He still wanted her, he still wanted this, and he was willing to jump through any hoops to give this thing a go. That was a guarantee.

….

Coming back to her childhood home was always a bit of a trip for Emma. This house, located in one of the few quiet boroughs of the city, held so many memories, most of them really good. Emma remembered summers spent out on this stoop waiting for the neighborhood kids to play, and winters when the snows got so deep they didn't have school for days. Emma was always so excited for those unexpected breaks, not just because she could ditch math homework, but because in the Nolan house there was no such thing as off-time. Days away from school meant shadowing her Mom or Dad at the precinct or the firehouse and planning out her own future that would someday come.

That someday was here now, and though Emma hadn't lived at home in any capacity since the day she graduated college, she was still a frequent visitor. Her parents might only demand dinner every Tuesday, but rarely did a week go by where Emma wasn't here four or five times. It was best this way, because though Emma still had the space of being on her own, she could use these visits to calm her mother's frequent worrying and to help both her parents feel like they were still as involved as they always had been in her life.

This morning though, the reason for Emma's visit wasn't calm or relaxed. She walked through the front door searching for her Mom with a copy of the morning's paper in her hand. The moment she saw it on her doorstep, Emma smiled at the image, enjoying the memory of that dance she shared with Killian, but all it took was a few seconds for Emma to realize the shit storm that awaited her. Her life was about to be seriously disrupted, and the first person Emma thought to call when she understood that was her mother. Twenty minutes later she was here and seeking more real counsel.

"Emma, honey! You just missed your father, but he made pancakes for breakfast. Do you want me to heat some up for you?" Mary Margaret asked far too cheerily for Emma to take any sort of comfort as she walked into the kitchen.

"No I'm all set. I think I'll stick to coffee." Emma reached for the pot on the counter and quickly set about making it to her liking before turning back to her Mom.

"So you're here about the article, huh?" Mary Margaret asked, nodding towards the paper that was still in Emma's hand.

"Uh, yeah. I really don't know what to do about it. Can I call someone, or something?" Emma asked, hoping her Mom had the contact info of someone at _The_ _Globe_ so she could maybe see about getting a retraction or a correction printed. It was bad enough that Emma and Killian had been plastered all over the front page because of her connection to her parents, but she could at least get an apology or something for the blatant falsehoods that the article and caption had presented as fact.

"Call someone? I don't understand," her mother countered, turning to Emma with a questioning look.

"Yeah, to get this sorted out. The story isn't true, Mom. Killian and I aren't dating. We just danced," Emma confessed, a slight pang of something like remorse shooting through her as she did.

"I know that," Mary Margaret stated easily before taking another sip of her coffee.

"You do?" Emma asked, wondering why if that were the case that her mother wasn't already trying to do something to get this corrected.

"Well of course I do. You only met the man last week."

"How do you know – oh forget it. Someone told you," Emma fought back an eye roll when her mother's smile appeared again in full force.

"I have my sources, yes. But whether or not the story is true, it's out there, and there's no taking it back. So we have to lean into it."

"Lean into it?" Emma asked, totally confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about letting this thing with you two develop… you know making a few more appearances together." Emma laughed at her mother's words and then saw she was serious. How the hell could she be serious?

"Okay now you're talking crazy. Seriously what is up with you?" Emma asked and her mother sighed before putting her mug down and leveling with Emma.

"The truth is, honey, that this story is kind a great thing." 

"A 'great thing?'" Emma asked, her mother's phrasing not computing in the slightest.

"Yes, Emma. I've already talked to some people in the office and at the paper and they said the public's response has been substantial. People really like the idea of a police detective and a fire captain -,"

"Sergeant," Emma corrected absentmindedly and her mother smiled wider.

"A fire _sergeant_ , finding some romance together. Is it so bad to let them think that's what has happened?"

Emma stood there trying to make sense of everything that had been said. It was a lot to take in and truthfully when she walked through the front doors this was the last response she expected from her mother. Part of Emma was ready for an inquisition about the truth behind the story or her mother's being in spin mode to make it better, but this was so far out of what Emma had considered possible. Now she was playing catch-up and trying to vocalize her concerns.

"But it isn't just a cop and a firefighter, Mom. There's a story because it's _me_ , because of my connection to you and Dad. Can't you see that?" Mary Margaret's expression softened some, sympathy shining through her blue eyes.

"I do, Emma, and I realize that has always been hard for you, but this story isn't going to jeopardize your standing on the force. You are so far past any comparisons to me or your father. You've already proven yourself to be one of the best police officers this city has ever had."

Emma appreciated the compliment and her mother's enduring faith in her, but it still felt wrong. Something about this situation wasn't quite right, and for Emma it came down to the idea of who could possibly be this supposed 'source' saying Emma and Killian were an item.

On her way here, Emma called Ruby and though her friend was delighted at the article, Emma knew she had nothing to do with it. Ruby gave Emma her word, and that was good enough for Emma. But if it wasn't Ruby then there were only so many other people it could be, and one of those people was Killian. It felt wrong in Emma's gut to assume that he was behind this because even if they barely knew each other, Emma thought she had a pretty good sketch of Killian's character already. Nothing she'd learned about him so far hinted at him being capable of something like this. But what other explanation was there?

"What's really bothering you, Emma?" Her mother asked as she came around the island and grabbed a hold of her hand.

"How do we know he didn't set this all up?" Emma asked, her throat tightening as if her body physically didn't want to say the words. It was hard being this cynical, and yet Emma had learned that sometimes people didn't have her best interests at heart, and it was safer to be skeptical than let people in.

"Because I did," her mother said lightly, as if it wasn't some huge revelation.

" _You_ did?!" Emma yelled stepping back from her mother immediately.

"Well technically the idea came from the mayor's office, but I gave them the go ahead." Emma's hand came to cover her eyes in frustration. The mayor's office was involved? God would this conspiracy ever end?!

"Why would you do that?" Emma asked, sincerely wanting to know why her mother would subject her and Killian to something like this. She had to know this was going to be a major pain in the ass and possibly incredibly awkward.

"Because they weren't wrong when they called me and said it could work. You and Killian make a very nice looking couple. I saw that chemistry between the two of you while you were dancing all the way across the room. Besides he's handsome, has an accent, and he made you laugh, which isn't very easy to do."

Emma didn't need reminding of all of Killian's good qualities. She had been thinking about them for most of the week, but now she couldn't think of Killian without thinking of this huge potential roadblock they were going to have to face.

"So you saw a nice interlude between me and a guy you thought I might like and said to yourself 'you know what they need? Public scrutiny and pressure to be together even if all it was ever going to be was just one dance?'" Emma didn't bother to hide her discomfort from her mother and Mary Margaret had the sense to look stricken, but she moved back to Emma and lowered her voice to a comforting level.

"What I was thinking was that it was a beautiful moment, Emma, and the city could use a story like that. And you know, the police and fire forces could do with a little more good PR. It's not really that easy to come by; there are only so many kittens stuck in trees in this world. But honestly I didn't see an issue when they asked me. You haven't brought anyone home to your father and I, which leads me to believe there's no one serious in your life right now… Was I wrong about that?"

Emma refrained again from rolling her eyes at her mother's blatant prying. It was all so ridiculous anyway since Emma was smart enough to know her mother kept tabs on her. Mary Margaret Nolan was practically in charge of all the intel in this city and if Emma so much as showed interest in someone her mother would have a file on it. That only complicated things further because Emma _was_ interested in Killian, yet she was unsure if her mother could tell that or not. This was already going to be a dangerous potential thing between Emma and Killian when no one knew. Now a whole city would be watching them? That pressure was so messed up.

"You should have talked to me."

"You would have said no," Mary Margaret replied and Emma knew she wasn't wrong.

"I had a right to know, Mom. This is my life and you just threw a wrench in it because we 'make a cute couple!'" Emma said her emotions getting the best of her again.

"You like him," her mother said quietly and Emma looked away, not wanting to lie to her mother.

"It doesn't matter now."

"Of course it matters Emma. In this family we listen to our hearts and our instincts. Those are powerful tools, and you should never turn your back on them."

"And what about Dad? I can't imagine he was thrilled with this idea of me fake dating his employee. Imagine what he'll say if I tell him I'm not really faking all that much." 

"You leave your father to me," Mary Margaret said happily as she came and put her hands on Emma's cheeks, willing her daughter to look at her. "All you need to worry about is giving this a shot. Put your best foot forward and be yourself Emma, and everything else will fall into place." 

Her mother made it sound so simple, and Emma was tempted to stay really angry for a while, but the little voice in the back of her head said her mother had a point. She was making this harder for herself by lingering in the stress. If this were a case or any other problem in her life Emma would keep moving and working through it. Why should this be any different?

"You know this isn't just over, right? Eventually we're going to have to confront this for real." Even as Emma said the words, she knew that wasn't going to happen. She might be irritated with her mother, but somehow the older woman would find her way out of this uncomfortable scenario. She always did.

"Oh I know, but you should be going."

"Going?" Emma asked, confused as to why her mother was shooing her away from the house so quickly.

"Well you've got to see Killian." Emma's heart stopped at that idea and her stomach churned anxiously.

"Oh. I was just going to call him or something -,"

"Now, Emma. I know I raised you better than that. This isn't something you handle over the phone. No, you're going to go down to the station before your shift and you'll talk to him face to face. It's best you both get on the same page."

As Mary Margaret gave the orders in the same voice she used with the people in her charge at the station, she maneuvered Emma to the door and gave her back her jacket and her scarf and gloves. Quickly and with efficiency she had Emma all bundled up again before pulling her in for a kiss on the cheek.

"You'll be fine honey, and we'll see you two for the BPD banquet Saturday."

Still in a daze, Emma found herself agreeing and back in her yellow bug that she used when not on duty. She sat there for a moment considering what the hell she was actually going to do. Should she follow her Mom's advice and go see him? Or should she just call and spare herself the potential horror of breaking it to Killian in person that his innocent flirtation had evolved into so much more? 

In the end she sided with bravery, and the ride from her parents house to the sixty-first was actually really short, too short for Emma to come up with much of a plan past finding Killian and laying it all out there along with a heartfelt apology and a request that he try not to let this change anything. That last part especially was unrealistic, but Emma found herself hoping somehow that could happen. Truth was she liked where they'd been last night, and she wanted that same easy back and forth now, even if the connection between them scared her a little bit.

Upon arriving at the sixty-first, Emma stepped out of her car and leaned against the door, looking at the firehouse. She debated jumping back in the bug and making a getaway before anyone saw her, but underneath the slurry of anxiety Emma was wading through, there was an eagerness to see Killian again. It felt important to clear some of the air between them, and Emma would be lying if she said she wasn't hoping to see him again too.

Last night after their dance, and all this morning before she saw the paper, Emma replayed that moment in her head. She found herself grinning like an idiot more times than she cared to admit and despite the mortification of her father breaking them up, she'd still felt hopeful. Killian said he was interested, and his actions and words told Emma that he wasn't going to let one interruption from her father keep him from seeking her out. But now that unspoken promise was at risk, and it was up to her to do the chasing, which for Emma was so far out of her wheelhouse.

"Were you thinking of going inside, or…?" Emma jumped at the voice that manifested beside her and turned to find a woman she recognized. Emma knew she was on the force here in the sixty-first and after a few seconds of trying to come up with her chosen house nickname she remembered it.

"Tink right?" The woman smiled and nodded. "Well Tink, I was kind of thinking of abandoning ship to be honest."

"And make me miss the chance to watch the new Sergeant get all flustered because you showed up? Nuh-uh, not happening."

The next thing Emma knew, she was bring dragged by the smaller women into the squad building and Tink didn't let go until they made it past the truck bay and into the common area. When Emma stepped through the door into that large space she was struck by how similar the set up was here to her Dad's station a few neighborhoods away. Emma took comfort in that until she noticed that nearly every person in the house was in here and looking at her. One second everyone was shooting the shit and the next the whole place had gone silent. In the fray of people though, there was one person notably missing: Killian was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey Emma," Graham nodded her way and Emma offered a nod back.

"Hey." Emma was going to ask where Killian was and try to get past this awkward little impasse between her and the whole house when one of the guys she recognized, Will Scarlet, decided to holler over his shoulder.

"Oi, Jones, you've got a visitor!"

It took everything in Emma not to grimace at that announcement, but soon enough Killian was there, looking at Will with a perplexed expression until he saw Emma. In the moment where their eyes met, all of Emma's embarrassment about the situation evaporated and instead she was solely focused on him. Killian looked different in the light of day, a little less suave than he had been last night in fancier clothes, but it didn't detract from this pulsing attraction she had to him.

"Something you want to tell us, mate?" Will teased, breaking the moment and Killian turned to his friend before snatching the paper out of Will's hand and slapping him over the back of the head with it.

"Yeah. Trucks need washing today." Everyone groaned at that and Emma couldn't help but smile at the way they looked so forlorn. She remembered being a beat cop and having days where they washed the squad cars. In the summer it wasn't terrible, but come the frigid winter months it was less than invigorating.

"But it's freezing out!" Will complained, still sounding good-natured somehow underneath his outcry.

"That's unfortunate for you, Scarlet, but alas not my problem." With Killian's words uttered, Will turned to Graham in mock desperation.

"Come on Lieutenant, you just gonna let him do this?"

"I don't _let_ the Sergeant do anything, man. Maybe if you stop screwing around with the ladders every time we have a run you'll get promoted," Graham quipped. 

"Well that's not bloody likely is it?" Will joked as he eventually filed out of the room with some of the others. Emma watched it all rather entertained, but then a rush coursed through her when Killian's hand reached for hers.

"Don't be fooled. They might be leaving, but staying here would just invite the whole house to eavesdrop."

"Do you have somewhere else we could go?" Emma asked and Killian nodded, leading her down the hall to an office with an open door. On the solid wood was a plaque bearing his name and rank, looking brand new and overly shiny. The interior, however, was inviting and Emma watched as Killian closed the door behind them. The ambient sound of the house faded away with the action, and Emma's pulse thrummed a little faster, her excitement rising at their being really alone.

"I'll admit I'm a bit surprised to see you again so soon," Killian tossed his thoughts out easily but Emma noticed there was nothing like resentment in his voice, only genuine enjoyment in this turn of events.

"I'm sorry to just show up like this," Emma said, waving her hand around like that would explain anything. Killian, meanwhile, only smiled and moved a step closer to her.

"I'm glad you came, Emma." Emma felt a blush coming on at his words but she fought it off, willing herself to be more composed than she felt on the inside.

"I take it from the copies of _The_ _Globe_ out there that you know about the article." Emma felt the nerves kick in again as she asked. Even though she already knew the answer, she didn't really know what he was thinking.

"Aye. I've had a few people bring it up so far today," Killian confirmed.

"Well I kind of have a crazy proposition I'm supposed to float your way."

God how was Emma going to explain this to him? She couldn't just stand there and say ' _Hey, Killian, I know we really just met but you have to pretend to be my boyfriend or my soul mate or something for a few weeks while people write about us in the paper,'_ It was a ridiculous situation and she had no idea how to handle it. Damn it, she should have come up with a better plan!

"You mean about us dating?" Killian asked and Emma's jaw nearly dropped. "Or rather appearing to be together at a host of upcoming events."

"You know?" Emma asked.

"Your father called me this morning."

"He didn't!" Emma exclaimed, a thousand scenarios (all of them bad) running through her mind about how that conversation could have possibly gone.

"He did," Killian countered with a smirk at his lips.

"I'm so sorry," Emma rushed the words out to the point that they were almost indecipherable but Killian just laughed and shook his head. Leaning back on his desk slightly.

"Don't be. I've been in worse scrapes than this, and I would hardly call spending more time with you a burden, Emma. Believe me, I am more than up to the task at hand."

"You say that now but these parties… they're pretty dull." Killian sobered some at Emma's claim and the fire in his blue eyes was back, mirroring the way they'd looked when she was in his arms last night.

"I doubt any scenario could possibly be lacking if you were in attendance, love."

"How are you still like this?" Emma asked and Killian's brow rose in silent questioning.

"Like what?"

"Charming and funny and… _flirting_ with me? My family just stomped into your life and dragged us into this – because it was my Mom who gave that statement by the way – and yet you're…" Emma couldn't even summarize how he was. It was too unbelievable.

"I'm happy at the chance for more, Emma, in whatever form that takes." The way his voice sounded out across the space between them to her ears made Killian's intentions clear. He wasn't thinking of this as just a job, and Emma was torn about how she felt about that.

"Well this is supposed to be professional. You know that right? Just a bit of PR for the city. A bonus assignment if you will." Emma was babbling and she heard herself doing it. She was tempted to groan aloud at her inability to speak, but Killian pushed off of his desk and moved forward, entering her space and leaving the air around them filled with a crackling of energy and the smell of him.

"So if this is an assignment that makes us partners, doesn't it?" Killian asked, his voice dipping low as he did. It sent a delicious shiver through Emma's body that she desperately tried to conceal.

"In a way, I guess," Emma said, watching as Killian moved slightly closer to her again.

"And partners trust each other, correct?"

"Yeah. They do."

"Well that's all I need to know then, love, because I trust you and I am hoping you'll learn to trust me. Besides, it will be an honor to escort you, Emma. Honestly I only have one request."

"And that would be…?" She asked, her voice breathier than it had been a moment ago.

"That you go out with me for real. No cameras, no obligations, just you and me on the date we were supposed to go on before all of this happened."

Emma's stomach flipped at his earnest words, and she was caught again by just how smooth Killian was. Here he was propositioning her, and where history dictated that Emma should cut and run or let him down easy, she couldn't manifest a refusal. Instead she wanted to engage with him a little more, and to make him sweat a little when he appeared so sure of himself.

"I don't remember agreeing to any date."

"Oh but you would have, love. One more song and I'd have had that pleasure, but your father cut in before I could show you my best moves." Emma laughed at the phrasing and the reminder of her Dad stepping in the way he had.

"You're really that sure of yourself?" Emma asked, knowing he was totally right and that in the end she was going to say yes to this date.

"Not at all, but I am sure that every movie on the subject says if you spin a woman around in your arms enough she eventually goes along with your plan." Emma grinned at the words, and then bit her lip to try and hide it.

"This is a really bad idea," Emma's words died on her lips as Killian pushed a strand of her golden hair behind her ear, his fingers grazing the edges ever so slightly. When they did Emma's whole body went on alert, her craving for more skyrocketing.

"Maybe so, but I see it as an opportunity. I want to see where this goes. I know you feel it too, but the choice is yours, Emma. Either way it's up to you."

For Killian to give Emma the choice was incredibly important. All her life, Emma felt like decisions were made for her, and it wasn't until she'd climbed her way up through some of the different levels on the force that she began to feel in charge of her own path. Individuality was important to Emma after spending so long in her parents' shadows and yet most guys she met just barreled into her life, thinking they could make demands and drop a couple of sweet sounding lines on her and she would jump at the chance to be with them. Emma hated that, but she didn't hate this. Seeing Killian standing here, waiting for her to make a move was exhilarating and a real turn on.

"Yes," she said, liking the taste of that word on her tongue. Her whole body flooded with excitement when she agreed, as if she had been waiting to say yes to someone forever. Who knew? Maybe she had.

"Excellent. Your father mentioned Saturday for the banquet, but if you're off Friday maybe we could start from someplace real." 

"I'd like that," Emma replied, her words almost whispered and there was definitely a moment when Emma thought that he was going to kiss her. The look in Killian's eyes and the charge between them hinted that it was a real possibility, but then the alarm started ringing and Emma knew he had to go. This was his job after all, rushing into danger when the call came.

"To be continued, love. But if you could, would you leave me your number? In case something should happen before Friday," Killian teased and Emma smiled again nodding.

"Yeah sure. You should go."

Killian looked at her for another moment, appearing like he wanted to say more, but then the fast movement of footsteps rushed past the door signaling everyone else moving towards the trucks and Killian had to leave, stealing one last glance at Emma and offering that slightly tilted smile to her as he left.

And in that moment Emma realized that despite the forced appearances and the pictures and the press, she was actually looking forward to everything in store. Because for better or worse she was going to have a partner in this, and that partner was a man she was already beginning to feel for and to trust more than she ever thought possible.

 _ **Post-Note: So there we have it. Another chapter of this story is done and next chapter I believe I'll be showing their first real date and their first 'fake' date. I think it will be pretty fun, and I am definitely excited to write it. Expect more fluff of course, and a bit more humor from both the meddling friends, and Emma's overly-involved parents. Anyway, thank you all so much for reading and I sincerely hope that you all enjoyed and that you have a great rest of your day!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Hey all! This chapter was originally going to bring us to the two first dates, but I ended up writing a lot more for the first one than expected. As such this chapter just looks at their real first date from Emma's POV. Next chapter we will get banquet from Killian's POV and that will show us some of the strangeness of this whole fake dating dynamic. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and thanks for reading!**_

"I still can't believe _you_ \- Emma Nolan - said yes to a date. I mean the level of shock I am experiencing right now knows no bounds. It's like that time we found out the people breaking into all those Baskin Robbins shops were old ladies just chasing a high. That's how crazy it is that you're going on an actual date."

The commentary from her best friend made Emma's already present butterflies spring back up to the surface. Truth be told, Emma had been fighting off these nerves all day, and the anticipation of the evening before her had been on her mind constantly, but she was purposely avoiding direct mention of it.

Clearly Ruby hadn't gotten that memo, and she was not only bringing up Emma's impending date, but comparing it to one of the most insane busts they'd ever made while on the force. Now Emma almost regretted telling Ruby the whole truth about this fake/possibly real dating with Killian. Not that Ruby hadn't had her suspicions. She was Emma's best friend and upon seeing the photo in the paper with the caption claiming she ad Killian were an item, Ruby immediately knew that the story was bogus. Emma was _not_ dating Killian Jones, because if she were, Ruby would know and she would have already given Emma enough grief to last a lifetime.

"Ruby, it's not like I'm a hermit."

"Never said you were, but you know what an actual date entails right?" Her friend asked before filling in the details herself. "Flowers, food, wine… the man is going to open doors for you and pull out your chair. This isn't some 'we met in a bar and skipped the last names' hook up. Your Sergeant is going hot and heavy on this, I guarantee it."

"He's not _my_ anything, Ruby," Emma professed, and then she began rambling more for the sake of not getting her own hopes up than Ruby's. "This is just dinner. Honestly we'll probably both realize that there's nothing beneath the surface of whatever this is, we'll learn a few details about each other to get us through my parents' insane PR idea, and then we'll go our separate ways."

Emma felt a bad taste accruing in her mouth as she uttered these words, probably because they were so clearly false. Emma was actually hoping that everything she'd just said would be proved incorrect tonight. After a few days of texting and building the excitement, Emma was eager to see where Killian would take her and to get the chance to find out more about him. She had the basics of course (her status as a detective wouldn't allow her to not do a little digging after all) but she didn't know the man underneath that swagger and charm, at least not yet.

"Oh sure. You wore your best dress for a guy you know will be a dud. Totally believable." Ruby flopped down on the chair in Emma's living room waving her hand in the air like she couldn't even entertain that thought being in the air around her.

Emma looked back down at the classic black dress she had on and she bit back a smile. Ruby was right. This _was_ her best dress, and Emma had chosen it for that reason. Then she'd gotten frustrated at herself for not having more color in her closet. If ever there was a time to liven it up a bit that time was now, but aside from the gown she'd worn for the gala, Emma wasn't exactly racking up bright ensembles.

"Is that your way of saying I look okay?" Emma asked and Ruby scoffed.

"You look hot as hell and you know it, Emma. Just get out of your own head, and whatever you do don't tell that story about tazing that guy Belle set you up with."

It probably shouldn't make Emma smile to think back on that night. It had been the single worst date she had ever been on, and she only went because their friend Belle had been begging to set Emma up for months, but even Emma couldn't dream up that ending. An unintelligent, borderline rude, self-absorbed guy talking her ear off about stocks all night was one thing, but when she found out he had a warrant out for his arrest in three states for fraud and then he tried to pull a butter knife on her for confronting him, it really clinched the title of most horrific date ever. Emma's one silver lining had been tazing him when he tried to get away from her and the backup she'd called in, and all these years later that was the part of the story that stuck with her most. He'd made a hilarious sound when going down, and she'd taken just a tiny bit of joy in that pain. He'd been a real asshole after all and he'd conned a lot of people out of their hard-earned money, thus the warrants.

"Really? It's a pretty good story. I could just leave out the part about how he lost a testicle," Emma joked and Ruby looked liable to launch into a big long speech about why it wasn't when she realized Emma was kidding.

"Very funny," Ruby said, and right then the buzzer for Emma's apartment went off.

"Shit he's on time!" Emma yelled, not realizing that was a thing. Then again she never let anyone meet her at her apartment so maybe she should have known. Emma glanced around trying to figure out if she needed anything else as Ruby laughed and put her hands on Emma's shoulders.

"Emma, chill. You are going to be great. Your instincts are never wrong, and you like this guy, so trust that. Plus he has a great date planned for you," Ruby tossed in that last part off-handedly as she grabbed her coat to go.

"Wait! How do you know about the date?" Emma asked, frustrated that her friend had known all of this time and never mentioned anything until right now.

"Graham told me." Ruby said that like it was completely obvious.

"Of course he did. You know I'm gonna get you back for not telling me when you knew I was stressing about what to wear, right?"

Emma's threat was mostly empty, but there were a few ideas rattling around in her head about ways to even the score with Ruby, like bringing her lunch all next week and not giving Ruby the leftovers, or getting to the station house early every day so she got to drive and Ruby had to sit on the passenger side.

"You'll be singing a different tune after tonight, girl. Now buzz the man up or he'll freeze out there."

Emma heeded her friend's advice and she used the last thirty seconds or so to get herself together. She heard the distant sound of Ruby greeting Killian in the hall and him saying hello back, but when he knocked on the door, Emma felt her heart leap. This was it. She was actually going on a date with the guy her parents insisted she fake date. Emma shook away that line of thinking, trying to avoid the headache that came whenever she lingered on it. Instead she opened the door, and felt the air rush out of her lungs when she saw Killian.

Hot did not do this man justice, and Emma had a moment where she just stared. Taking him in and seeing the way he looked somehow better than he had in either a tux or his fire gear, Emma felt completely overwhelmed. Honestly it just wasn't fair. No guy had a right to look this good or to walk this line between formal and casual, but Emma's one real consolation was that as obvious as her staring was, Killian's was just as bad, and he got a hold of himself only after she said hello.

"You look stunning, Emma," Killian finally said and Emma knew that he meant it, which escalated the flips her stomach was doing right now.

"Thanks, you look…" 

"I know," Killian added easily and though it was a cockier thing to say, Emma could sense he'd done it to help cut through some of this fog between them. Then he handed her a bouquet of flowers that were beautiful, and again, unexpected. "These are for you, love. I know you said flowers weren't really your thing when you texted but-,"

"I lied," Emma confessed and then looked back up to him. "I love flowers. Or at least ones like this. But if you'd walked in here with an armful of those artificially colored daisies…"

"I shudder at the thought. No, these I chose for one reason. They reminded me of you, and the dress you wore at the gala. One look and I knew I couldn't walk away from something so beautiful."

Emma felt herself blush at the compliment that might have been construed as being about flowers but Emma knew was really about her. She snuck inside to put the blossoms in water quickly before coming back and taking his outstretched hand. There was only the briefest of hesitations on Emma's part, but when her hand was safely in his, Emma had no regrets. Wherever tonight was headed, she wanted to go there, to see once and for all if these feelings she'd been carrying since meeting Killian could add up to something more.

Despite the fears Emma had about first date conversation and her own often bumbling awkwardness, Emma found herself really enjoying the company, and after a few requisite jokes about him knowing how to drive on the right side of the road, Emma eased into the dynamic between them. She was actually so comfortable that she neglected to notice their surroundings until they were already about twenty minutes outside of the city. Sensing her surprise, Killian commented on the decision to leave Boston tonight.

"I figured there would be a little more peace of mind if we left behind your parents' stomping grounds. And to be honest, I was hoping to take you somewhere you've never been. As a native of the city, that seemed a harder prospect within Boston's city limits."

"That was a good call. So where are we going then?"

"Just outside of your parents' kingdom," Killian joked and then nodded. "Actually we're already here."

Emma peered through the windshield and watched as the roads they'd been on gave way to a beachfront property in the style of an old Victorian mansion. The beautiful blue color of the old home was crisp and clean even now in the winter months, and though there was snow on the ground, it was less extensive than back in the city thanks to the ocean being so close. The sun was long gone, but on a night like this one when the moon was full and the stars were out in full force, and when the old lanterns the house boasted were lit and lining the pathway to the front steps, this was a truly spectacular view.

"Want to go inside?" Killian asked when he'd parked the car and Emma was still just staring at the house. She nodded, allowing him to grab her door for her and lead her towards their destination.

The interior of this home was no less amazing than the outside, but Emma was amazed to find that it wasn't a home or a hotel, but a restaurant. The sign at the door read _Arendelle Café_ but that last word didn't do this place justice. It was torn from the pages of a historically accurate period piece set here in New England, but it was also warm and inviting. The fireplaces were lit, and the seasonal decorations remained while the house was filled with a smell of really yummy, and exceptionally comforting food.

"There's something I should probably tell you before we begin, love," Killian said, suddenly sounding a little nervous and Emma looked at him with a smile, kind of enjoying his being thrown off balance.

"Oh?" Emma prompted, but before Killian could respond, a small woman with big eyes and a very expressive face arrived, looking positively joyous at their coming.

"Killian, you made it! And you must be Emma. We've heard so much about you. I'm Anna. And this is…" Emma watched as the woman looked around and then rolled her eyes. "My husband Kristoff was here a second ago, but with that man he's here one second and distracted by something shiny the next."

Emma swore she heard Killian cursing under his breath and muttering about Anna being too pushy for her own good, but Emma just gave him a look before extending her hand in greeting to the woman, who though very enthusiastic, was also kind and easy going.

"It's nice to meet you, Anna. This place is beautiful. Is it yours?" Emma asked and Anna beamed with pride and nodded in response.

"Sure is! It's been in the family for a long time, but I finally convinced Elsa to let me make it into this. It wasn't like she and Liam were ever going to move out of the city, and a home like this one deserves to be lived in, even if people only stay for a little while at a time."

"Liam?" Emma asked, this time to Killian and he scratched behind his ear. That name had come up a few times in their drive up here, but never in regards to their date specifically. What did Killian's brother potentially have to do with this?

"As I was trying to tell you love, Anna here is my brother's wife's sister. Though I was informed that she and Kristoff were off tonight."

Well shit. Did that change things? Emma wondered. Because now she was meeting his sort-of family and it was only a first date. Then again, Killian had already met her Dad, and he hadn't been nearly as excited or inviting as Anna was being right now. The way Emma saw it that were probably even.

"We _are_ off. We just wanted to see the girl you've been chatting up so much to Elsa. I swear we were going to be sneakier about it, maybe just do a tiny bit of spying from the back when you guys walked in, but then there was a scheduling issue and I was out here in the open. Next thing I knew you were here," Anna offered, like all of that was totally normal to say to someone. Emma couldn't help smiling though, because even if it was bizarre, she had to admit there was a definite humor wrapped up this reception.

"A likely story. Now, Anna, I beg of you, can you just show us to our table and put me out of my misery? Here I was half way to convincing Emma I'm a catch and then you come and muddle it all up."

Emma rolled her eyes at Killian's claim (even if he was technically right about her being closer to accepting that this attraction between them wasn't going to be fading away any time soon) and the gesture pulled a huge grin to Anna's face. She seemed about to make more comments when a man came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. From the easy affection between him and Anna, Emma assumed this was Anna's husband Kristoff.

"I think we've done enough damage tonight, Anna. Let's give them a fighting chance, alright?"

"Oh alright. It was nice meeting you, Emma," Anna offered honestly and Emma nodded.

"You too, Anna."

From there Killian made his goodbyes to Anna and Kristoff and then an attendant brought Killian and Emma to their table. They were completely alone here in a private room with a wall of windows in antique design clearly made new. That theme of restoring tradition while adding a timely feel carried through all of the furnishings here, but the best part of this space was they had a view of the water here, but also the intimacy of one of those fireplaces crackling off to the side. Emma had to admit it was incredibly romantic. As someone who largely avoided romance, she was stunned at just how nice it was without being too exaggerated or over the top.

"Be honest with me, love. How dismayed at you over that display? I knew it was a risk bringing you here, but I hoped to avoid all that and just show you a good time." Killian posed the question as he pulled Emma's chair out for her and she immediately thought back to Ruby's words from earlier about what made something a real date before sending him a smile.

"It was actually kind of nice to see I'm not the only one with a family who doesn't know how to respect boundaries."

Emma's words allowed for a clear sense of relief to settle on Killian's features, and Emma was glad to give him that. She was so eager to see him enjoying himself actually, that she reached for his hand across the table much to both of their surprise, but he didn't pull back, instead running his thumb across her knuckles lightly.

"Is that a typical problem in your world, Emma? I know the comparisons to their success have caused you trouble, but don't tell me they're also – what's the term – helicopter parents?" Killian's musings pulled a real laugh from Emma, because he'd hit the nail on the head with that word choice.

"You have no idea. Don't get me wrong I love my parents, but they're just ever-present, you know? They hate thinking that there's something about me they don't know and my mother is a world class detective, so there rarely ever is."

Emma left unspoken how this date was even more risky in that regard because Killian already knew that. It was why he'd taken her out of the city, and as someone who had lived here for only a brief amount of time, Emma was amazed that he'd found them somewhere so beautiful to go, even if it did have a tie to his family. This was perfect, and Emma was already feeling her old worries of being found out easing away.

"Aye. I think if we put them in a room with my brother and Elsa, it would be a show down of who can love their family more. I'm not sure who would win."

The idea made Emma laugh again because she'd seen Killian's brother and sister-in-law in passing at the state house on the rare occasions that her testimony brought her out to that district in the city. They were both hard working from what she knew, and damn good ADAs. There was even talk of Liam ascending to the District Attorney position some day, but who knew? Maybe Elsa would be the one to take the job. Either way it was funny to think of her parents taking on two lawyers and trying to prove they loved her more than Liam and Elsa loved Killian.

At that moment the waiter came to take their order and Emma realized she hadn't even looked at the menu. She ended up deciding to trust the special as Killian did, and she accepted the glass of wine that came from the bottle the chef recommended with that dish. It was a perfect blend, not too sweet or too dry, but just right, and Emma felt herself relaxing as she stole a sip of it. Meanwhile, Killian watched her curiously.

"Something on your mind?" Emma asked, and Killian took her question as permission to launch into an unexpected confession.

"Look, Emma," Killian began, his sincerity and seriousness showing on his face. "I want you to know that I'm not sitting here fearful of your parents finding out about us or about this. I don't need this to be a secret. I'm not worried about my job or reputation or anything of the like. But I know the position you're in and that there are still some walls I've got to get past before you can trust me enough to choose me. Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow, but someday I'm hoping you'll be sure enough in me to do so."

Emma hardly knew how to respond to that. It was an abrupt stream of honest feelings from a man she was still getting to know, yet who seemed so sure of her already. It perplexed Emma how Killian could appear so certain. He was talking about choices and by association commitment, and Emma knew that if she asked him the same question he'd choose her without hesitation. But he also seemed to respect that she wasn't someone who moved so quickly, at least not in instances where her heart was truly engaged. It was almost like he needed to be honest with her, and she respected that even if his ability to give himself away so freely scared her a little.

"So you're planning to stick around long enough for me to make that choice?" The idea was so foreign to Emma, because she just didn't have romantic interests in her life who stayed. Recently that was her choice, but there were a couple of guys in her past who had ended things before she could, either because of her parents or because of their own asshole tendencies.

"Aye." That one word held so much promise that Emma swore she felt the impact in her chest.

"And you're ready to say that, even though we've barely even started this date?" Emma asked, her voice thick with emotion.

"I was ready to say that since that day on the fire escape, love. Granted I didn't ever think to myself that we'd be fake dating at the same time I try to woo you for real…" Emma laughed as Killian trailed off and then he raised her hand up to kiss and finished his thought. "But I did think you were different and I knew I'd never forgive myself if I didn't try and chase that feeling I found with you out there that day. That same one that keeps cropping up every time you're near."

"And what feeling is that?" Killian's thumb ran along her wrist, pulling a flurry of sensation from her and a tiny shiver of desire as well.

"Like this is right. Honestly I'm out of my depths here, love. Until last week I thought myself content with just my work and nothing else. But now that's all changed."

"Because of me."

Emma filled in that part definitively, but saying it out loud didn't make it any less remarkable. It was so much for him to say so early, but even if his hints at making this last triggered old anxieties, the resounding feeling in Emma's heart was relief because she trusted Killian and because she valued his not making this a game. These weren't the words of a man going after his Fire Chief's daughter just because. They were those of a person who was risking a bit of himself to potentially find happiness with her.

"Yes, because of you. Now, tell me I haven't just made a huge mistake in saying all that," Killian's eyes portrayed a desperation that his tone concealed slightly better.

"You haven't. I'm still here right?" Emma asked, squeezing his hand lightly.

"Astonishingly yes." Emma smiled at Killian's tone of wonder, like it was some kind of miracle that she wasn't sprinting away form him. Come to think of it, it just might be given her track record.

"Well for the sake of honesty, you should know I don't do this," Emma admitted.

"What have dinner?" Killian joked and Emma smiled.

"No, I don't have dinner with guys who openly admit to liking me and wanting to build something with me before we so much as hit the salad course. Call it a quirk, but it's not my usual M.O." Emma didn't know what he'd do with her blunt statement, but the laugh that Killian rewarded her confession with made her feel so much better.

"I think it's fair to say we're wading through an unusual situation, love." 

Emma felt the same pulse of excitement at his use of that endearment. It always caught her by surprise, but the way that word sounded falling past Killian's lips warmed her up inside. She was in serious trouble, but the only comfort for her quickly slipping control was that Killian seemed to be right there with her.

"Is that what you'd call it? I'd say it's more nightmarish. I mean you realize that tomorrow it's going to be me, you, my parents, and about a hundred other cops who all know me and my family, right? Some of these people have known me since I was a kid, and most of them are going to be overbearing and nosey in a monumental way."

"I wasn't speaking of that particular element, Emma. I was thinking more of the two of us. This spark between us isn't your run of the mill, fleeting interest, at least not on my end."

How any one could maneuver Emma from the disgruntled worries she'd slipped into from mentioning tomorrow's banquet to this soft, melting person so quickly Emma didn't know but Killian had done it. He managed to pull her from the mire of the mess her parents made and back into this date. No one else had ever brought her clarity like this, and it was intoxicating, to feel so much and yet not be totally petrified into making a run for the nearest exit.

"So you don't go hitting on women on fire escapes very often?" Emma asked and Killian shook his head.

"You're the first," Killian confirmed and Emma smiled.

"Good. Let's keep it that way, Sergeant."

Emma's flirtatious words set them off into the rest of a beautiful evening and the night that followed blew all of Emma's expectations out of the water. The food was fantastic, the wine just as good, but Killian's company was the best part of all. He was witty and funny, kind but able to give himself and others a fair bit of grief in the stories he told, and more than anything he knew when she wanted him to listen and when Emma began to feel slightly too exposed. It was astounding, watching him navigate every topic like an expert in her and her wants and needs, and by the time dessert was pulled away, Emma felt like she'd given Killian a view into her world and her mindset that very few people had.

"I have one last place I'd like to show you if you're interested," Killian said when the food was all cleared away and Emma could see that he was looking to her for opinions. One signal on her part that she didn't want this and he'd toss aside his plan, but Emma _did_ want this and she wanted to see what final thing he had in mind that could top the rest of this evening.

"Lead the way," Emma said, accepting his hand again and following Killian through different corridors he seemed to know and up three flights of steps and into a final room that Emma never would have expected.

Like the room downstairs where they ate dinner, this room was home to a multitude of windows but not just along the walls. There were extensive skylights that were crystal clear, and though this structure posed a clear difference from the original design of the house, the end result was amazing. There were a sea of stars above them, and from this height the overlook out into the sea was further. At this vantage, the shores around them could be clearly seen cast in that same pale white light from the moon, and looking almost ethereal in their pale glow.

"I'm told sunrise over the water here is breathtaking, but to be honest, I've always preferred the stars." Killian's words were whispered, but with him standing so close, Emma could feel the rumble of his chest and the vibration of his cadence singing through her.

"Yeah, I've never been a fan of early mornings," Emma replied in an attempted joke as Killian led her to the best spot by the gorgeous overseeing windows. In that spot there was a perfect view of the sea and stars together, and with the light pollution of the city far enough away, Emma swore she could see every constellation.

Emma took it all in, marveling at everything up here, but it only took a few seconds for her to be distracted by Killian's closeness and the way it felt good to have him here. He was this strong, imposing presence, but there was no threat in his being so near. It felt good. Better than good actually. It felt like Killian had been entirely correct when he said this thing between them was right. It worked for whatever reason, and Emma didn't feel the need to question it. Instead she wanted to explore it.

"What did you used to wish for?" Emma asked, turning back to Killian and seeing his eyes had never strayed from her face. "As a kid, when the first star appeared in the sky?"

"It varied. Sometimes I wanted my Mum to buy more dessert than she was given to and for her to bestow it all to me before Liam could find it and eat it all as he usually did. Other times I wanted school cancelled for any old reason. It didn't matter which one as long as I didn't have to sit through history or Latin." Emma laughed at his choices, knowing she'd had a fair share of similar wishes.

"No ponies or puppies for you?" Emma asked and Killian smiled.

"Definitely no to the former, but I think I asked for a dog once or twice, and by once or twice I mean a few dozen times," Emma chuckled again, knowing she'd asked at least a hundred times for one. But her Mom was allergic, and by the time she was out on her own Emma was working crazy hours at the precinct.

"Sometimes I wish I could go back to that age, when everything seems possible. When the most ridiculous wish has a shot of being answered just because you want it bad enough." Emma admitted, thoughtfully. She expected agreement from Killian, but instead he moved closer to her, his hand reaching out to cup her cheek.

"And what do you want, Emma? In your heart, what's the one thing you want most right now?"

The question filled the space between them, and though there were arguably dozens of things that Emma might want in her life, there was only one thing she could think of right now. She decided to go for it and see if maybe she might make her wish a reality. She moved closer to Killian, pulling him down by the vest he was wearing and kissing him the way she'd wanted to since first stumbling into him on that fire escape.

To call this a kiss was almost too tame, for the fire behind it was intense and burning brighter than anything Emma knew. It was the culmination of all the back and forth they'd had going for a while now, and it delivered every ounce of interest, and every drop of chemistry that had been flowing between the two of them all that time. Emma felt branded by his lips on hers and the way Killian pulled her flush against him, inciting her whole body into a flurry of unbridled need.

Never had a first kiss held so much promise and so much satisfaction. There was just something about the way Killian tasted and the way he gave as much as he took that set her whole body aching for more. Yet that didn't compare at all to the look in Killian's eyes when they broke away. There, swirling in the dark blue pools that Emma couldn't get enough of, was so much feeling and emotion and heart it made Emma believe in things again. Things that she hadn't ever considered (about finding the one person who was right for her or who could make her world better) since she was a little girl who loved fairytales and stories about magic.

"Did that answer your question?" Emma finally asked, watching Killian's triumphant grin appear when she did.

"Aye, love. It certainly did."

After a little while longer spent there under the stars talking and stealing a few more of those invigorating kisses, Killian and Emma both decided it was time to head back. But when their drive back into the city came to an end, and Killian had walked Emma up to her front door once more, there was a feeling of not wanting things to end just yet that Emma knew they both felt together. Her hand was in Killian's, and she tilted her head up to meet his gaze, seeing the same barely restrained passion on his face that she felt simmering inside her.

"You know we never got to have that drink that you mentioned at the gala. We could remedy that now if you want to come in," Emma proposed, knowing that there would be a whole lot more than a drink if he said yes, and not caring in the slightest. Sex on the first date was totally fine with her. Actually it was pretty damn necessary given all the things that she was feeling.

"I thought you'd never ask," Killian teased and Emma opened up the door, letting him inside, and the second the door shut behind them they were on each other again.

This kiss was able to move faster than the one before, and the slow perusal they were allowed back at the restaurant, gave over to something more demanding and needy on both sides. Emma reveled in the feeling that she was swept up in Killian and he was just as wrapped up in her. It was a total rush, but still it wasn't enough. They moved to the couch, and the next thing Emma knew, Killian was above her, and she was arching closer, needing things to speed up and for him to meet her at the edge where she was already residing. The feeling of his hands on her body and his warmth above her made Emma crave so much more.

"Emma, much as I might like to continue this, I think maybe we should -,"

Emma knew he was going to say something about waiting (because if ever she'd met a guy who would play the gentleman card it would be Killian), but before she could try and convince him to live a little dangerously, the buzzer to her apartment went off, announcing someone's request to get in from downstairs.

"Expecting someone?" Killian asked humorously and Emma shook her head, assuming it was maybe someone for another tenant, before hearing the voices that crackled through the speaker.

" _Emma, honey, it's Mom and Dad. Your car is out front and the light is on in your room so we know you're up. Let us in."_ Her mother's voice was way too chipper for this time of night and it cut through the moment she'd just been enjoying with Killian so quickly, Emma felt like she had whiplash.

"Shit!"

Emma jumped up from the couch, trying to figure out what the hell to do in a dreadful scenario like this one. There was no second way out of the building currently because of construction in the back alley, and the snow outside meant Killian's shimmying down the tree by her bedroom window was also out. Crap! Emma never had a situation like this before. Hell she'd never even had a guy in her room at home all those years. She had no experience to go off of, and a rapidly dwindling window of time to find a solution.

"How do you want to play this?" Killian asked and Emma found herself rushing around trying to figure out what to do. In a second a plan formed, but it was bad. Honestly it would probably fail miserably, but it was the only one she had and she needed Killian to go along with her on this. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into her bedroom, putting him in there and pushing him down on the bed, ignoring the continued smile on his face when she did.

"Look we've got two choices. Either you are super quiet and stay in here for five minutes while I get rid of them-," Killian cut her off with a smile and a joke.

"You're sure I can stay in here, love? Perhaps the fire escape would be more appropriate." At another moment Emma would no doubt find that reference to their first meeting to be sweet or hilarious, but right now she was damn close to a full-blown panic.

" _Or_ you explain to my Dad why you're in my apartment late at night after a first date." The humor from Killian's face drained somewhat and he nodded.

"Good thinking, love. I won't make a sound."

" _Emma?"_ Her mother's voice came through as the buzzer sounded in her apartment again and Emma groaned as she opened her drawers up looking for the tools she needed to look un-date like in thirty seconds.

" _Why don't you just use the key?"_ Emma's father said through the speaker, reminding Emma on some level that even if this was a nightmare it could have been so much worse because her Dad had a good point – what would have happened if her parents just walked in? Emma couldn't stand thinking about it.

" _I can't find it,"_ Mary Margaret countered through the speaker.

" _Can't find it? But you never lose anything,"_ David said skeptically.

" _Well there's a first time for everything. Emma?"_ Emma ran back to the intercom.

"Hi, guys sorry. Come on up." She pressed the button to let them in without another word and then ran back into her room.

Emma tried to make herself appear as normal as possible in the thirty seconds she had. She threw on a ratty pair of sweatpants and grabbed her bathrobe quickly, not even bothering to take off her dress as she tossed her hair up in a messy bun. She didn't have time to wash off her makeup or anything like that, but she did spare Killian one last look and a truly apologetic expression.

"If we survive this, remind me to tell you how sorry I am and to thank you for everything that happened before this moment," she said, shutting the door to her room before he could respond. She quickly turned on the TV and took one last glance in the reflection she saw in the window and sighed. God how had everything gone so wrong so quickly?

Just a moment later her parents knocked at her door, and Emma took a big breath in. She wasn't well versed in lying to her parents by any means. Emma always preferred honesty and felt like to deserve the truth you had to speak the truth, but right now she was on a different level. All she could think about was getting them out quickly and none the wiser of her evening, and if she could pull that off she would finally be able to breathe again. She opened the door, ready to face whatever may come.

"Oh Emma, there you are. But look at you - you're all red! Are you feeling all right?" Emma nodded, jerking back before her mother could put a hand on her forehead and check her temperature.

"I'm fine. Just really tired. What are you two doing out so late?"

"You make us sound so old," Her Dad said hugging her quickly. "Your mother wanted cannoli and so we got some. We thought you might like some too."

"Okay well thank you," Emma said taking the box as her parents came in and made themselves comfortable. Emma noticed then that Killian's jacket was still out here and she immediately ripped it from the couch before either of her parents saw it and chucked it to the ground behind her.

"You don't want to eat it now?" Her Dad asked curiously, turning back to Emma. "You love everything from Mike's."

"I know, but I was actually all ready to get to bed. That much sugar so late and I'll be up all night."

"I didn't think you were working tomorrow," her mother replied, looking around the house as if searching for something, her eyes finally landing on Emma's bedroom door, but she looked away and then Emma believed she might actually be getting away with it.

"I'm not but Ruby and I have plans so…" That wasn't technically a lie, right? Especially since after this fiasco, she'd need grief counseling from her best friend to survive the mortification of this moment.

"Well in that case we won't keep you. But we'll see you tomorrow night, right?" Her father asked and Emma nodded.

"Yup. Wouldn't miss it," Emma replied, feeling profound joy as her Dad turned towards the front door.

"Her _and_ Killian, David. Don't forget, our Emma's got a date" Mary Margaret added, looking downright gleeful at the thought of Emma on a fake date with the man who was currently hiding in her bedroom.

"How could I forget?" her father grumbled, giving Emma a hug before heading into the hallway and leaving Emma with just her mother.

"I'm sorry honey, we shouldn't have come over unannounced like this."

"No Mom, it's fine, really -," Her mother squeezed Emma's hand affectionately as a kinder way of cutting her off.

"It isn't. We should have called first instead of assuming you didn't have plans. I'll try to remember for next time, okay? I love you." With that and a final pat on Emma's cheek, Mary Margaret Nolan left to meet her husband in the hallway, leaving Emma shaken but also slightly hopeful. Maybe she'd gotten away with this after all.

The moment that Emma closed the door behind her parents she felt herself slumping against it, totally and completely frazzled. On the one hand she was thanking every power in the universe that they (or at the very least her father) hadn't realized Killian was here, but on the other she was so angry and terrified that they'd come at all. What they believed would be a thoughtful, well-received surprise had just thoroughly upended a night that was going really well. Now Emma had to face the music of that and hope that Killian wasn't about to cut and run.

Turning around at the sound of her bedroom door opening again, Emma didn't know what to say or do, but then she saw Killian's smile and she froze. Wait was he laughing right now?

"Well I think I can safely say that's not where I imagined the evening going. But it does make for a hell of a tale," Killian said easily, and though he appeared rather laid back given the circumstances, Emma still felt a swell of anxiety.

"I'm pretty sure this is the part where you run for the hills and tell me that this is way more than you bargained for," Emma said, resigned to the fact that this would likely happen, but then Killian was moving towards her and taking her into his arms again. His hand gently moved her chin up to look at him, and Emma held her breath in anticipation of what he would say.

"On the contrary, this is the part where I tell you that despite the familial surprises I had a wonderful time tonight. I can't remember a better evening to be honest, twists in the road and all. It's also the part where I beg you to consider more dates with me in the future because I don't think one night like this could ever be enough."

Emma responded to that request with the only answer she could fathom, another kiss that silently sealed her want to do that too. She poured a lot into that kiss: gratefulness for his being so cool about everything, joy at the fact that they'd come out of that relatively unscathed, and the bit more trust he'd earned by proving himself to be a good guy in this moment. Still, when Emma pulled back, she thought Killian deserved to hear her agreement as well as feel it.

"I'd like that. But maybe next time we go to your place at the end of the night?" Emma asked and Killian laughed. Emma knew he'd just found an apartment to move into since he'd mentioned it at dinner, and though it seemed inconsequential before, it was suddenly such a necessary turn of events.

"I think we can manage that," Killian confirmed, his hand running over the small of her back soothingly. Emma immediately regretted this damn bathrobe, but she was too happy at the fact that he was still interested to feel truly bad about it.

"So I'll see you tomorrow?" Emma asked.

"Tomorrow it is," Killian agreed and with one last goodbye, he was out the door and Emma was left alone to replay what had easily been one of the best (but also craziest) nights of her life.

 _ **Post-Note: So there we have it. I am having a lot of fun with this AU so far, mostly because it's not like anything else I am writing or have written before. This chapter was a little closer to stories I have done in the past (because first date fluff is always a necessity), but between the ending and the banquet which I will be writing about next chapter, I am putting CS in the line of some interesting obstacles. Hopefully you guys are enjoying the story and let me know what you all thought!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Another week, another chapter of this fun story that continues to provide new challenges and choices for me to face. This chapter as promised is the first 'fake' date between Emma and Killian told from Killian's perspective. Expect some strange situations and a lot of meddling from the people in both Emma and Killian's lives. Anyway thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoy!**_

Despite the original plan for Killian to pick Emma up the next evening at her apartment, Killian found himself parking in front of the police precinct where Emma worked. The reason was simple – Emma had been called in thanks to some sort of problem, and though Killian asked if maybe they shouldn't cancel attending the banquet all together, Emma assured him that was not an option.

" _Trust me,"_ she'd said earlier on the phone. " _There is no crisis that could hit tonight that would get us out of this dinner. My Mom has been talking about it nonstop. You should see the texts I got so far today."_

Killian doubted that the hyperbolic statement was strictly true, after all Emma's parents cared for this city tremendously and if something urgent did manifest they would no doubt understand, but Killian took her point. Some days off just weren't meant to be, and he'd certainly learned that lesson over the years when being called in unexpectedly on some run or other.

But this change of plan did provide an awkward new impasse for Killian. Whereas before he would have been dealing with no one aside from Emma, now he was walking into a place filled with curious participants in Emma's day to day life. If they were anything like his friends and colleagues at the firehouse, there would be a fair many questions and Killian had hoped to have a little time with Emma before being subjected to that tonight. Nevertheless, Killian was determined to rise to the challenge and to see Emma after a long day away from her.

Taking the steps up to the front door two at a time, Killian walked into the station and was immediately greeted by a horror show. The place was insanely busy and suddenly Killian saw why Emma had been called in on her day off this morning. From his estimations, there were more than twelve people either being escorted in cuffs or interrogated in various spots around the room and for some reason they were all covered in varying shades of paint. They also all appeared to be young, and if any of them were older than eighteen he'd be shocked.

"Daymont High has Senior Assassin this week."

The explanation was offered by Ruby who appeared at the front desk out of thin air, and though Killian hadn't seen very much of Emma's partner since the day he'd met her on the fire escape, he was happy to see a friendly face. Ruby's smile was welcoming and then she laughed, nodding towards one of the sorrier looking lads in the group across the way. Killian followed her gaze to the subject in question before asking Ruby to clarify exactly what she meant.

"Senior Assassin?"

"It's this stupid tradition where the high school seniors make a 'hit list' and take each other out with water guns. The last person standing wins… actually I don't know what they win. Bragging rights? Money? I didn't bother to ask," Ruby said shrugging like it was inconsequential.

"Sounds harmless enough," Killian said.

"Ah it usually is, but apparently none of this year's survivors or their buddies considered how bad shooting giant water guns at each other could get in a paint your own pottery store. They all decided to attack there and they caused a frenzy the likes of which we don't see every day. Needless to say the store owner was less than thrilled."

Killian honestly expected Ruby's expression to break into a smile and for her to tell him that all of this was a joke, but when he heard one of the passing officers questioning a young woman with an unfortunate smearing of green all over her face and hair about breaking some ceramic horse, he let himself believe this could be true.

 _So this was what it was like to be a police officer?_ Killian thought to himself. He'd gotten some crazy calls in his time, but Killian never dealt with anything like this.

"And you're really arresting them?" Killian asked, unsure if he agreed with whether they should. These kids were young, and a record of law breaking would haunt them a long time. That being said, they'd all made a stupid choice, and if they'd caused enough damage they should be held accountable.

"No, but they need a wake up call. So we're letting them sweat awhile. Their parents know, and the one difficult Mom went quiet real quick when we stuck Emma on her."

Killian grinned at the thought of Emma silencing some upper-class mother who felt her child was entitled to break the rules. The determination in her eyes would captivate him, and her hands would be on her hips in a firm, powerful pose, with her features hard. Killian hadn't had very many moments when he saw Emma that way, but he wouldn't be opposed to it as long as he wasn't on the receiving end. Maybe he should ask Ruby about tagging along with them one day purely to observe. That would be a treat indeed.

"Speaking of… where exactly is my lovely date?" Killian asked and Ruby grinned.

"She's changing in the back. And realistically, she's also giving herself a pep talk."

Killian was taken aback at that. Did _he_ have anything to do with Emma's doubts? If he did then he wanted to set her straight and tell her that no matter what was in store for them this evening, he wouldn't ever willingly do anything to inconvenience her. His intention was to make the best out of a bizarre situation and to find a few quiet moments for him and Emma in the process. Nothing that he had in mind should cause her any undue stress.

"Don't worry, it isn't about you," Ruby clarified. "Well not really. I think she's mostly just praying that her parents don't do anything embarrassing."

"You really think it will be that bad?" Killian asked, knowing that Ruby would have more insight into the lion's den he was walking into.

"If you'd met her Mom you'd understand."

Killian ran his hand through his hair at the comment, witnessing some truth underneath the humor in Ruby's eyes, but before he could stew too long on worrying how Emma's parents would be tonight, he felt a shift in the room. Emma was here. He just knew it, and the rush that came when he realized that was invigorating. Turning around to find her, Killian stopped dead in his tracks. All thoughts of anything but Emma fled immediately, and in their stead remained one resounding truth: Emma Nolan was the single most beautiful woman Killian had ever seen.

With her hair hanging loose around her shoulders, and an emerald dress that complimented her eyes and fit her figure superbly, Killian was close to gaping. Not only that but Emma was trouble with a capital T and a serious temptation that would be nearly impossible to resist, and from the way her teasing smile lit up her face she knew it. Emma had a total understanding of just how lost he was over her, and Killian didn't bother to hide his reaction from her. She should know of his infatuation and be sure that it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Emma." Her name fell from his lips before Killian could think the better of it, and a tiny blush appeared on her cheeks. She noticed the single flower he'd brought with him this time and bit her lip.

"That for me?" she asked, as if it could be for anyone else. He'd only brought one so as not to inconvenience her with a full bouquet at work, and he knew from her tone that he'd made the right choice.

"Aye, love."

Killian handed her the blossom, expecting her to simply smile and accept it, but Emma surprised him by bestowing a kiss to his cheek right there in front of all these people. He knew they were supposedly dating, but it still felt like a rather grand gesture, and from the stares he felt on him from all parts of the room, Killian gathered Emma was not accustomed to bestowing such signs of affection to many people. Yet before he could say anything more, Ruby giggled beside them. That laughter on her friend's part pulled Emma's eyes from Killian's regrettably, but he was appeased by Emma's fiery response.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" she asked Ruby.

"Hardly. You two smitten cuties have been the highlight of my week," Ruby responded and Emma rolled her eyes.

"I'll make sure to mention that fact to Graham when I see him next," Killian quipped and Ruby looked thoughtful before retracting that claim.

"Okay so maybe not the highlight. But definitely entertaining."

"Well the show's over, and before you ask again, no I cannot bring you too," Emma said and Ruby frowned.

"Drats. Now I'm going to have to bribe Belle to tell me everything and she's expensive."

Killian chuckled at Emma's partner's continued dramatics. Emma had spoken to him of Ruby more at length last night, and he knew that as her best friend she was Emma's most trusted confidant. Ruby happened to be a bit more exaggerated in her personality than Emma was, but Killian could see even from this modest interaction that the two women complimented each other, and he knew from their reputations around the city that they had a similarly successful chemistry when they were on the job.

"Shall we, love?" Killian asked Emma, pulling her attention back his way as he offered his hand and she nodded.

"Yeah, let's get this over with," she said less than enthusiastically as they walked out the big front doors of the station.

"Praise like that is liable to go to a man's head, Detective," Killian joked and Emma offered an apologetic look when he opened the car door for her.

"I didn't mean it like that," Emma insisted.

"Aye I know, and I can't say I disagree. But I have been clinging to one silver lining," Killian said, watching the light in Emma's eyes grow at his words.

"Oh yeah? And what might that be?"

Killian's hand came to her thigh and his thumb grazed her bared skin that he'd wanted his hands on since their impromptu interruption last night. She was warm and soft beneath him and clearly susceptive to his touch, which made him want her all the more. But patience would be key tonight and in the coming weeks. Of that Killian was sure.

"The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave and I can finally get you alone."

Again Killian got the chance to see Emma react to a seductive promise from him, and the rush of pleasure that it prompted when he watched her eyes heat and her legs close a little tighter together as if trying to relieve some newfound ache made him grin. He brought his hand up from her thigh to cup her cheek, and he watched as her eyes widened and her breathing picked up ever so slightly.

"There's just one thing, love…"

"There is?" She asked, her voice a breathy sound designed to make the already tightly coiled ball of yearning low in his gut clench.

"I doubt my ability to survive the evening without a proper kiss first."

No sooner had he said the words than Emma pulled him down to make good on his wish. It was so sweet and tantalizing, and the taste of Emma made everything feel blissfully right in his world just as it had last night, but where Killian wanted to go further and to elicit as much of the passion in this moment as he could, Emma had other ideas. She pulled back and hovered just an inch away as a wicked grin manifested at her lips. Her eyes stayed on his mouth and it took everything in Killian not to drag her closer for more.

"You said proper, right?" Emma asked, knowing her interpretation wasn't what he'd meant at all, but he loved the lightness in her voice, as if she was just on the edge of a real, genuine laugh. He wanted to linger in that melodic sound for as long as he could, and he found himself smiling too despite his being ravenous for more.

"I suppose I did. I'll be sure to consider my phrasing more carefully next time," Killian vowed.

"Next time?" Emma played with his emotions too much with that and he moved closer to her. She thought he was coming in for another kiss and made no move to pull back, but he stopped short, nipping lightly at her lower lip just enough to make her gasp before pulling back.

"Aye, Emma. I can promise you there will be plenty of next times."

With that, Killian put the car in drive and headed off in the direction that the GPS instructed. The ride wasn't lengthy, but in that time Killian listened to Emma break down more of the dynamics that they could expect tonight. She crammed an exorbitant amount of information into a brief drive, but she must have seen his inability to keep up on his face. In response Emma merely smiled and took his hand after they'd parked, leading him to the setting of tonight's activities.

"Long story short this is probably going to be weird and uncomfortable, but I'm glad you're here with me, and I promise not to let things get too bad."

"You'll be my protector then, love?" Killian asked with a smile and Emma laughed.

"Something like that," Emma murmured.

"Perhaps we should have a signal or a code word, should my inability to cope get too strong." Killian's jest was met with an eye roll and Emma patted a hand on his chest.

"Yeah, not happening. Plus my Mom will know. She knows everything," Emma claimed, her eyes filling with some less comfortable emotion as she did. Killian brought Emma's hand to his lips to kiss, trying to distract her from whatever cycle of thoughts she was about to go down and her face softened. He felt victorious when her expression calmed once more, and the feeling of giving her that sense of peace was addicting.

"Whatever happens, Emma, we can handle it. Just remember that." Emma nodded and then they headed inside arm in arm.

The set up here was vastly different than the gala had been. Instead of a huge ballroom, the reception was more intimate and located at a restaurant rather than a hotel. There were no evening gown or tuxes in sight, but there was an aura of elegance here and a simultaneous hominess that made Killian think that this place had a connection to the police department. Sure enough he looked on the far wall and saw a big picture of the whole BPD upper ranks smiling together.

"This is kind of 'the spot' for my Mom and her friends," Emma announced. "It was run by a family of cops for years, and now the owner is actually my Mom's old partner."

"No kidding," Killian said aloud, spotting a man in the center of the picture beside Emma's mother from years ago that Emma gestured to.

"Uncle Lance is the best. My Mom was sorry to see him retire so early, but he was ready to hung up his badge and try something new. Now she and my Dad only see him like four times a week instead of every day and she'll never get over it," Emma said with a laugh.

"Be skeptical all you want Emma, but if Ruby ever retires you'll understand my pain."

Emma and Killian turned to find both of Emma's parents standing there and while Emma's mother was beaming at the two of them, Chief Nolan was a little less enthusiastic. The peculiarity in the air was almost suffocating but Emma, strong and determined as she always was, persevered with a positive attitude and good humor.

"If you say so," Emma said, allowing her mother to hug her as Killian watched on. Then Emma moved to hug her Dad as well and Killian watched the fierce protectiveness and love that David Nolan couldn't help but radiate towards his daughter. When Emma pulled back, she made the introductions. "Dad, you already know Killian, but Killian this is my Mom, Mary Margaret Nolan."

"Sergeant Jones," Chief Nolan said, not meanly, but also without any flowery emotion as he extended his hand almost begrudgingly.

"Oh come on, David. Call the boy Killian. He's not on the clock and neither are you," Emma's mother chastised.

"Forgive me if I still refer to you as Chief, sir," Killian offered, and he swore some of the walls around Emma's father lessened. He'd clearly scored points with that show of deference. Then Killian turned back to Emma's mother with a smile.

"I've heard so much about you, Killian. It's good to finally meet you," Mary Margaret said, pulling him into a surprise hug as she continued to chat him up. "I know this situation is all very unusual but we are absolutely thrilled to have you here. Aren't we David?"

"Positively exhalant," The Chief said and Killian tried not to laugh at the clear sarcasm. Stern and overprotective or not, Emma's father was funny. Killian had to give him that.

"Don't mind my husband, Killian. He's a lovely man, but when hungry he's borderline crotchety," Mary Margaret claimed with a sigh and a slap at David's arm.

"Excuse me?" David asked and Killian heard Emma laugh this time. His eyes looked over to her and she was shaking her head good humoredly, leading Killian to believe this was a typical show of silliness from her parents. Mary Margaret, meanwhile, completely overlooked her husband's objections.

"So Killian, how is your brother doing? The last time I saw him he had just won the Garrick v. Stevens case," Emma's mother said, referencing one of the bigger trials in Liam's career to date. It had transpired a few years back, but Liam was still being praised for it all this time later.

"He's doing well, thanks," Killian confirmed.

"Oh better than well I would think," Mary Margaret said. "He got married since that case, and it was hardly a secret then that he loved Elsa. I mean it's impossible not to. She's jut a doll, as I know you must know."

"I'm lucky to call her my sister to be sure," Killian said honestly and Emma's mother smiled wider, running her hand along her husband's arm.

"I actually told him to get a move on that day and wouldn't you know it I heard they were engaged a week later. Good thing too, because women like that don't wait around, you know." It was impossible to miss the way the Superintendent grinned and nodded Emma's way, like she was hinting at Killian doing that exact thing with her daughter.

"Mom!" Emma said and Killian chuckled, placing his hand on the small of Emma's back.

"You're right. My brother is more than happy with his choice, as I believe any man would be given the right woman."

"You sound like you know from experience," Mary Margaret said causing Emma's father to stiffen and Emma groaned.

"Okay I'm gonna stop you right there and say that if I'm going to make it through tonight I need a drink, or five. Are we sitting with you?" Emma asked and her mother looked disappointed at the abrupt end of the discussion but then shook her head.

"No actually. There was a mix up with the seating. But we'll find you." That was a solemn vow in every way, and Killian knew Mary Margaret Nolan would make good on it.

Emma agreed to her mother's conditions before pulling Killian with her towards the restaurant's bar, saying hello to more than a few people as she did. When they'd finally gotten halfway the room, Emma seemed a little more relaxed and Killian spoke again.

"Lucky thing we won't be sitting with them I suppose," Killian said and Emma laughed.

"Ha! Luck? Try straight out bribery. I called Uncle Lance this afternoon and promised him to take him to two Sox games this summer to spare you. The last thing we need is an hour and a half of that straight."

Killian blinked at Emma for a moment, trying to understand how she could truly be real. She was so brave and capable and also so prepared for the potential pitfalls and missteps their current arrangement might provide. There was no doubt that she was on this and handling the situation to the best of her ability. And here was Killian, feeling all sorts of things because Emma cared enough about him and his comfort to put in all the effort. Though to be fair, he believed Emma an avid enough sports fan to survive the games. The local sporting teams had come up a time or two during their date after all.

"What?" Emma asked a second later, bringing Killian's attention to the fact that he hadn't replied.

"Nothing, it's just… well you're bloody brilliant, love." Her genuine smile at his praise made Killian want to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless, but he held back. The last thing he needed was to upset the Chief this early in the evening.

"Thanks, I like to think so."

Killian had every intention of making Emma see her worth as long as she would let him remain in her life, and he was about to tell her more of his thoughts on how extraordinary she was when interruptions came from all over the place. People kept popping up to meet him and see Emma including her Uncle Lance and his wife Gwen, and it was truly a struggle to keep all the names and faces straight. That tempo continued for far too long, and as an attempt to give him a chance to breathe (and to procure some much needed alcohol), Emma asked him to get her a drink from the bar. He was willing to do so, but getting there was hardly easy, and his being alone didn't change the amount of people who wanted to speak with him. It merely changed their tone and levels of friendliness.

"So… England, huh?"

The suspicious question from the stranger at the bar would surprise Killian if he hadn't been greeted in a similar manner by half a dozen other people so far. It felt like every time he was finally free another person manifested from the sea of police and their families with some tidbit fact of his life they knew. Every single one of them sized him up openly, and though he'd survived the questioning for the most part to now, Killian had to admit Emma was right before when she said this would be intense.

"Aye. London."

"Alright enough small talk," the man said, standing up and revealing that he was less than average height. "You even think about hurting Emma and you're going to have to deal with me. You got that?"

Well this was easily the bluntest of his conversations so far and Killian didn't know what to say to the smaller man. On the one hand he could laugh at the bluster and clearly displayed anger that didn't make any sense since the man was old enough to be Emma's father, but there was also this need for Killian to reflect well on Emma. The last thing she needed to deal with tonight was him publically arguing with someone who no doubt had a connection to the force and her parents.

"Leroy!" A younger woman said, looking shocked and displeased all at once. "Would you cool it? Emma is a grown woman and she can handle herself. She doesn't need her Desk Sergeant threatening her boyfriend."

Killian could have corrected the brunette, but he didn't bother. In fact he liked the title that she'd bestowed upon him and he made a mental note to bring it up to Emma later. He could already picture he reaction in his mind's eye. She would roll those jade colored eyes of hers and then turn slightly pink, giving away her true feelings. She'd done that a few times when in his company so far and he'd memorized each one and replayed them a thousand times.

"Well someone's gotta tell him what's what," The man named Leroy countered, appearing just as grumpy as he had been a second ago even if he'd dialed back the vitriol in the presence of the lady.

"Why don't we ask Emma what she thinks?" The woman said with a hand on her hip and instantly Leroy paled and made a last remark about that not being necessary and Killian needing to remember what he'd said. As the man walked away, the woman who had inadvertently saved him spoke again. "Sorry about him, about everyone really. They mean well…"

"It's nothing I can't handle, love. Are you a friend of Emma's too?" Killian asked and the woman nodded and extended her hand while she gave him her name.

"Belle French, one of the rare civilian officials invited to these things. I basically manage the station where Emma works. I also promised her to keep an eye out for you and keep everyone out of your hair if and when she couldn't." Killian recognized her name from Ruby's earlier hopes of finding out more details about this evening, and he proceeded with his answers knowing that they could be common knowledge come tomorrow.

"You might have missed a few people," Killian joked and Belle shook her head with a smile.

"No I didn't. I fielded the worst of them. You got the easy marks and now everyone will be satisfied that you were interrogated to their liking," Belle said.

" _That_ was light?" Killian asked, thinking back to the intimate details some of the officers here tonight had tried to pull from him.

"Oh yeah. But to be fair no one's had anyone to interrogate since Emma went to her senior prom. Or so I've been told about a dozen times tonight," Belle quipped before laughing and pulling Killian into a laugh as well.

"Any advice for me then?" Killian asked, genuinely curious to know what he was up against.

"About fending off the hounds, or about wooing Emma?" Belle's words prompted Killian to scratch behind his ear uncomfortably, but she stayed light and easy going. "Well for the first part I'd say be honest. Everyone in this room can sniff out a lie like it's their job."

"Funny," Killian conceded at Belle's pun.

"And as for the wooing… I think you're doing pretty good on your own. I mean look at her." Killian was about to turn when Belle raised her voice. "Not yet! Jeez, a little discretion."

"You told me to look," Killian argued and Belle let out a huff of air. In that moment he could completely see why Emma and Ruby were friends with this woman. She would fit in seamlessly with those two.

"Sorry I'm used to cops who know when I say look I mean discretely."

Killian shook his head at the strange woman who despite her more interesting qualities was clearly one of the closest things he would find to a friend tonight. His gaze shifted over to Emma and sure enough she was looking her way. The second their eyes caught across the room, Emma smiled and Killian felt it low in his gut. Damn it felt good to be seen by her, and no matter what anyone said that smile wasn't faked. Something so precious and so pure could never be artificial.

"That right there is why no one need have bothered with interrogating you. You are so gone over her," Belle acknowledged with glee. "And thank God really. Emma needs someone normal. Especially after… well never mind. Forget I said that."

Killian tore his eyes from Emma even though he had no real desire to and looked to Belle, wondering what she was on about. Her tone had gone from happy and hopeful to almost pained rather quickly. That would have concerned him either way, but since she was speaking of Emma and a past jaunt in some romantic attachment, his interest peaked even higher.

"Especially after what?"

"Um, let's just say my past attempts at matchmaking haven't been very productive for Emma."

"Good thing you won't have to try anymore," Killian said, accepting the two drinks he'd been waiting for with a sincere thanks to the bartender. Belle meanwhile was totally silent and when Killian turned to her she had the biggest grin on her face. "What?"

"You're _really_ serious about her aren't you?"

"I've never been more serious about anything," Killian admitted, knowing it was true even if Belle didn't understand the full extent of the situation.

"So what are you waiting for? Go save her." Belle motioned towards where Emma remained with the same doting officials that had been keeping her busy since he came to get her drink.

"Emma doesn't need saving," Killian replied.

"Don't let the cool, capable exterior fool you. Emma might be a bad ass, but we all need saving sometimes, and right now is definitely one of those moments. Just be polite and deferential and then make an excuse about needing her elsewhere. Trust me, she'll thank you for it later."

Killian accepted Belle's advice after saying goodbye and thank you and he moved with Emma's drink back to his lovely date. When he was next to her again, Emma's hand came out to reach for him and her smile returned in full force.

"You are a godsend," Emma professed happily as she took her glass of wine from him, not realizing that her reaction to him whether for the sake of appearance or genuine set his whole body ablaze.

"I try, love," he whispered low enough just for Emma to hear, and he reveled in the shiver that coursed through her, and the way her eyes got just a tad darker as she blinked through thick lashes.

Killian then looked over to the older couple Emma was speaking with and kindly accepted their introduction before smoothly making that great escape Belle had mentioned. Emma's eyes lit up when he did and though he didn't have a real idea of where they could go, Emma did, leading him down a quiet corridor to a far room that had been closed off. Emma didn't bother shutting the door behind them since the sounds of the party around them were now just a soft hum, but Killian bit back a smile as Emma downed the rest of her wine and put her glass to the side, sighing and closing her eyes like the drink had immediately taken some of the edge off.

"I didn't think that it was possible for these things to include even more talking than they usually do, but tonight has definitely proved me wrong," she claimed.

"It is a rather verbose bunch," Killian agreed, meaning it more as a joke than a form of censure. Emma, however, appeared stricken and immediately set out to apologize.

"I'm so sorry Killian. I mean really, between the weird photographer my Mom hired who keeps following us around and the overbearing pseudo-family we've been dodging all night, this is pretty terrible." 

"Terrible isn't the word I'd use actually," Killian said, drawing Emma's glance back his way. Killian placed his own glass down on a side table and moved closer to her. Emma tracked every motion as he stepped closer, but she didn't move back and she didn't appear in any way to want him to stop.

"It isn't?" she asked, her voice slightly higher than it had been seconds ago.

"No," he said taking her hand. "Now, have there been moments when I questioned the methods of some of these people or their general inquiries? Aye. But it's been made clear to me all evening that you are genuinely loved and cared for Emma, and that is something to be celebrated, not resented."

There was a deep, longing need in Killian to say that he wanted to be considered a part of that unit of people who admired Emma, maybe even more than admired her to be honest, but he held back, still cognoscente of how early it was in their relationship. Instead he let his other hand come up to rest on the curve of Emma's hip. Being this close calmed all the frayed nerves they'd both been suffering from, and Killian watched as the hard set of Emma's shoulders lessened some. She seemed only moments away from melting into him, and he wanted that so badly – to be the person she could lean on in times like this would be an honor.

"I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop," Emma admitted, but her words told Killian that while her nature was to be skeptical, she couldn't muster the sentiment with him. Now he just had to see to it that the other shoe never made an appearance, and to make Emma trust that what they had was real and good.

"I fear you'll be waiting a rather long time then, love," Killian insisted as he pushed a strand of Emma's perfectly soft hair around her ear.

It felt like the worst of teases. He needed to touch her, but he also wanted so much more than this. Yet here and now was hardly the time to attempt such a scenario. Instead he cast his glance to one of the photos on a far desk and noticed a little girl with the same golden hair and wide green eyes as Emma. She was surrounded by other kids and her excitement and exuberance was undeniable.

"Is this you?" Killian asked, already knowing for sure that it was.

"Yeah. I was eight. We were on a family camping trip with a bunch of other people. I swear it was like thirty of us in the middle of the woods. I don't even know if it was a real, sanctioned camp site."

"Is your family fond of camping?" Killian inquired, not having a knack for the pastime himself.

"Not even a little bit, and the only person who could manage anything the whole trip was my Dad. I guess firefighters are better equipped for outdoor survival than a bunch of city cops. But even though none of us slept a wink, and there were more mosquitos than you can even imagine, it was awesome. Uncle Lance fell in the lake, I caught about a hundred fireflies, and I got a 'cool' scar from sliding down the path too fast after beating everyone in a sprint through the woods."

Emma gestured to a slight white line on the palm of her hand that Killian had barely noticed before. It was very feint, really the ghost of a long-gone injury, but he smiled all the same, not at the fact that she'd been hurt, but that she'd found it to a be a badge of honor. He could just imagine Emma giving every other kid, boy or girl, a run for their money, pushing herself to be the fastest and the best and to take the opportunity for every adventure. Instinctively, Killian took Emma's hand in his now, brushing the scar ever so gently before intertwining their fingers and smiling at her.

"Sounds like a lovely memory, Emma."

"It was," Emma agreed, but her thoughts had already abandoned the walk down memory lane, and Killian could read that her wants had shifted to something very different.

Emma licked her lips absentmindedly and then Killian was in motion, moving to give her another kiss that Emma arched into it. She clearly needed the same sort of release that Killian did and she took what she wanted without hesitation. This kiss lingered longer than they one they'd had in the car, but the feeling of it being forbidden was ripe in the air, and soon enough they pulled back, both wanting more but knowing more would have to wait.

"I think it's best we return to the party before anyone realizes we're gone," Killian whispered and Emma smiled.

"You're probably right," Emma agreed quietly, and causing Killian to steal one last kiss in the hopes of wiping away that little bit of worry that had returned to her features. When he moved away again, Emma was just as she had been before, at peace and looking very relaxed. "Thank you, Killian."

"I think it's I who should be thanking you, Emma. That was quite a kiss." Killian grinned when she rolled her eyes playfully and she shook her head.

"I meant for coming. You've made an otherwise stressful night a lot better and that was hardly easy."

"I'm merely glad to be of service, love," Killian confessed, lingering in the quiet contentment of this moment just a little longer.

Soon enough, however, the two of them joined the party once more and it felt like they'd turned some kind of corner. Killian never felt outmatched or openly disliked since walking through these doors, but by the evening's end he could feel that he'd won quite a number of people over. It didn't hurt that he clearly had Emma's admiration, and no matter what anyone thought Killian knew that all the gently touches, all the smiles, and every throaty laugh he got from Emma were real and true.

Though it was hard at times, Killian maintained the line that Emma's parents deserved, a respectful boundary between him and this woman who tempted him like no other, and through the course of the dinner and then the dessert that allowed a bit more mingling, Killian got the sense that even Chief Nolan was coming around. Killian was proud to say he'd even made the man laugh with a joke about the sleeping habits of firemen, and that he considered a real victory.

"You did well in there, tonight," David said later, when Killian had gone out to the valet to retrieve his car so Emma wouldn't have to face the cold. The compliment was unexpected, but Killian had no intention of taking it lightly.

"Thank you, sir."

"You also make my daughter laugh, which isn't easy. Emma's choosy," David acknowledged and Killian wondered if it was some kind of trap. Was he being baited into something right now? Or did the Chief just feel a need to share his observations.

"Nothing worth having ever comes easily," Killian said, paraphrasing a sentiment carried by many but bestowed on him many years ago by his mother. Just the thought of her brought a smile to his face. She'd have liked Emma, Killian knew, and she'd have enjoyed tonight and these people who were a brazen, blunt, quirky kind of family.

"I've been hard on you since all this started. My wife and my daughter think that's unfair of me," David continued.

"But you disagree?" Killian asked and he watched as the Chief hesitated before responding.

"I think that no one is ever going to be worthy of my daughter," David affirmed.

"On that we agree then," Killian countered honestly. He made no claims to be Emma's equal, but he also believed himself capable of caring for her and making her happy. If given the chance he'd like to continue doing that.

"But if she's going to choose someone – and I'm not saying it will be you – but _if_ she does choose someone… then he better be someone with a sense of honor and with enough of a spine to stand up in a room like that and take the heat."

Since the Chief had just told Killian he managed to do that, Killian took this as a sincere compliment. He might not have Emma's father's full backing yet, but that was fine. Tonight was about making progress, and even if they were small steps forward, at least Killian was on his way to staking out a path for him and Emma.

"Yes, sir."

Killian watched then as Chief Nolan extended his hand and shook Killian's. This time David wasn't being forced by social custom or by his watchful wife, and it was a silent seal of approval. As far as Killian was concerned, it was a nice thing to have, but not strictly necessary. Sure it was harder to go about dating Emma with the idea of his higher up and her father disliking the arrangement, but at the end of the day any relationship between he and Emma would be up to the two of them. It didn't involve anyone else, no matter who they might be.

"Oh would you look at that," Mary Margaret said, alerting Killian and David to her and Emma's presence behind them. "They're bonding."

Emma looked between her Dad and Killian, and Killian could read her thoughts so clearly. On the one hand she found her mother's statement weird and slightly uncomfortable and she felt the need to apologize for them, but on the other hand she was pleased and a little relieved to see Killian and her father getting along better. That relief was the sweetest part of all of this for Killian.

"And moment over," Killian joked, causing everyone to laugh.

"Until next time," Chief Nolan offered and before Emma and Killian got in the car, Emma's mother reminded them of their next necessary engagement.

Apparently they were signed up to volunteer at the Boston Rescue Open House next weekend, a day created to get the community involved and show younger kids especially about the merits of being a police officer or fire fighter. Killian had manned a few events like that at his old firehouse, but this would no doubt be different thanks to Emma's being there. Yet he was ready for anything, and Emma seemed more excited about this next outing than the one they'd just finished. When they were in the car and away from her parents once again, Killian asked her why that was.

"I don't know. I always loved the open house as a kid. And…"

"And?" Killian asked when Emma had trailed off, glancing for a second from the road to where Emma was smiling happily.

" _And_ it wouldn't be the worst thing to go on another fake date with you."

Killian growled low at her teasing, and Emma laughed, the sound filling the car with an energy and electricity that Killian fed off of. It felt perfect, being here with Emma after a night spent together in whatever capacity. But he did have to set her straight on one element of her comment.

"The key word being 'fake,' because I have no intentions of letting a whole week pass by without seeing you again, love. In fact, I'll need quite a few more moments with you to be even remotely satisfied." As Killian said the words he gave Emma his hand, feeling the reassurance of her offering hers as well and the happy reverberation in his chest as she hummed a sound of agreement.

"Sounds good to me," she whispered.

And though 'good' didn't do this feeling justice, Killian swore then and there that he'd show Emma just how much better life could be if they faced these moments together and explored this thing between them to the fullest, following this feeling wherever it may lead.

 _ **Post-Note: So there we have it, this week's dose of fluff is here and I love finding new ways to put CS in these cute situations. I really hope that you guys enjoyed, and while I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out, I fully intend to develop this story more and to explore this dynamic in a way that is filled with humor, smuff, and lots of cuteness. Next time we will also return to both POVs and we'll likely return to the usual chapter length. Anyway thanks so much for reading, and I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: So despite the title of this fic, not every call in the line of duty for a cop or a firefighter can be a false alarm, and sometimes there are pretty close calls. This chapter will be dealing with one of those. But don't worry, I never linger on angst for long, and the chapter also introduces the M rating so there's smuff to smooth over any would-be anxiety. Hope you all enjoy and thanks for reading!**_

"Can you believe the day we've got going right now?" Graham asked, standing at the doorway of the station by Killian's side, watching as the rest of the crew worked on cleaning off the engines outside.

The weather merited comment today because despite the fact that they were still braving the winter months, Mother Nature had brought a surprise – a gloriously sunny afternoon with temperatures more befitting May than any other time. It was a nice change of pace, and had vastly improved the moods not just of the others at the firehouse, but the people in the city as well. Killian appreciated it too, but to be honest, his mood hadn't needed any heavy lifting. He was enjoying life to the fullest already, and he had one blonde, brilliant detective to thank for that.

"You know they warn you about New England winters when you take this job," Killian affirmed, "They tell you all about the blizzards and how snow emergencies can effect a ride and response. But they don't prepare you for days like this."

"Well get used to the changes. With our luck we'll get a week of warm temps and sunshine and then another two feet of snow. If there's one thing to know, it's you can't trust Boston weather."

"I'll keep that in mind," Killian replied, enjoying his morning coffee as he and Graham watched a fight on the cusp of starting.

"I swear to God Scarlet if you spray me with that hose I will actually kill you!" The threat from Tink was completely serious, and Killian winced just thinking about how angry their ladder leader would get if Will was as hair brained as he pretended to be and turned the spray her way.

"Aw come on Tink. I'm practically you're oldest friend…" Will baited and Tink scoffed, shaking the towel in her hand at him.

"Bull shit! And you can kiss the idea of me even tolerating you goodbye if you mess with me right now. I'm serious Will, back off."

Tink was already poised to act and whether it was to either sprint away or charge Will, Killian couldn't say. But he could see the actual consideration in Will's eyes. He trusted his friend would make the right choice and be a grown adult about this, but then a challenge was presented and Killian didn't know what to expect.

"I say you do it man," Gus joked from the other engine. "No one's gotten Tink real mad in a while."

"Because everyone wants to remain in one piece," Tink snapped causing a chorus of ' _oohs'_ from the others cleaning.

A number of scenarios passed through Killian's mind in that moment, and though he knew the firehouse was bound tightly together in a unit, there was a risk here. Tink did have a bit of a temper after all, and Will did like to push the envelope. Besides, with Gus getting involved and putting his two cents in as the probie and low-man on the pole, they might be in real trouble. Someone should step in.

"Anyone who starts a water fight is getting kitchen clean up for a week, you got that?" Graham called out beside him and Killian grinned at his lieutenant.

"Some days I wonder why you don't have my job," Killian admitted only half joking.

"Some days I wonder the same thing," Graham tossed back humorously before another cry came from the truck bay.

"Did you all see this week's picture?" one of the EMT's named Thomas asked. "Sergeant Jones and his girl got pretty cozy at that open house."

The response from everyone was a rowdy one as Killian had come to expect whenever Emma was brought up. He was a bit disheartened though since he thought he'd successfully hidden the copies of _The_ _Globe_ that were dropped off at the house this morning. Clearly some of them had gone unchecked, or Thomas had just been snooping. As such the squad now had access to a picture of Killian and Emma sharing a smile while in the company of some of the city's cutest kids donning fake police badges and fire hats. It was 'PR gold' as Emma's mother and the mayor's office had put it, but Killian saw it as a snapshot of a great memory he was glad to have.

Thinking back to that afternoon just a few days back, Killian had the immediate urge to smile. It had been chaos in so many ways, with the engine house they'd used as a base swarming with children and their families as well as neighbors from the borough that the engine serviced. It was loud and packed with people, and in the midst of all of that, Emma and Killian had known they'd be watched all afternoon. But Emma, charming and graceful as she was, decided to put her best foot forward and to bring Killian with her.

Hours passed in the most enjoyable way, with Emma and Killian leading different games and answering questions for the little ones, and at more than one instance Killian found himself watching her. Surrounded by all these children and enjoying herself in a way that was reminiscent of being a kid herself, Emma was beautiful, entrancing, and impossible to ignore. Killian pondered most of the afternoon about what it would be like for Emma to have children of her own. He knew she'd be a spectacular mother, but in those imaginings Emma wasn't going it alone – no, she was standing there with him, sending him that same knowing smile and lighting up his world.

It was crazy to think how little time they'd known each other and already Killian's imagination was running away with him this way. He'd never experienced anything like it, but the sureness he had in Emma was unchecked. There was just something about her that eased his worries and convinced him that more was possible. With Emma in his life and in his world, everything seemed brighter and more vibrant. For the first time Killian wasn't just content but _actually_ happy and he had to credit that change to Emma. She was the one who gave him that, and the one who he was starting to build so many hopes for the future on.

"So remind me again how the new Sergeant not only scores one Detective Emma Nolan, but also gets the acceptance of the District Chief? Because something just isn't adding up here."

Will's words pulled Killian back from the haze of his recent memories. They were meant in jest clearly, and Killian could read his friend's humor in all of this, but it still set him on edge to discuss his relationship publically.

Killian had long prided himself on being a man who spoke the truth. Honor was important to him, and full disclosure with his team was a part of that code he held so close, but when it came to him and Emma things were complicated. The start of their relationship had been unique, and though they were dating now and they had an understanding between them that this was a permanent, exclusive, romantic attachment, there was still the matter of telling her parents it was a real thing between them.

" _I feel like maybe we can cross that bridge when we get there,"_ Emma said the night before when she was at his place and in his arms. " _Besides, if you think my Mom is overbearing now, just wait until I tell her I_ actually _like you. She'll take it to a whole new level."_

Killian smiled now thinking of the way Emma put it, and the way he'd made her admit that there was more than mere 'liking' between them. It might not be love (at least not declared between the two of them), but the promise from Emma that they mattered and that they were starting something together that was real and worth exploring soothed something in Killian. He couldn't shake the feeling that as long as he had Emma, everything would be all right, and so he didn't dare risk losing her.

"It's likely thanks to my dashing good looks and roguish charisma," Killian quipped and the whole squad laughed at that ridiculous statement, but Will was onto Killian and his friend didn't look inclined to let it go easily. Before Will could make some witty retort, however, the alarm blared through the space around them, setting everyone off into an instinctual set of movements to man to trucks.

"Saved by the bell," Graham said as Killian and he headed into the house to gear up. Killian shook his head, knowing he shouldn't engage in the teasing any longer. Now was the time to get serious again and focus entirely on doing things right and getting to whatever situation awaited them, but he couldn't help pointing out an obvious fact to Graham.

"And you've been saved from speculation by me. Don't think I haven't noticed the lack of scrutiny you've gotten with your own detective," Killian said and Graham laughed.

"Fair enough."

Grabbing their gear and manning their stations was second nature to most everyone in the house. The rigorous training they'd all gone through and the years of experience most of the people on this team had made for a well-oiled machine that performed even as the harsh tones of the alarm droned on and on. This was a familiar dance to all of them, and for Killian that continued wailing sound was what put him in the headspace he needed. It got him moving at top speed and kept him vigilant to the others, making sure they all filed into place with speed and efficiency all in one.

Once on the trucks, they got the basics from their dispatch team – fire in progress in a warehouse on the south side of their district by the docks. There wasn't as of yet an alarm number garnered, but from the description the 9-11 call had made, it was shaping up to be a big one.

The ride from the firehouse to the docks was mercifully smooth without the added burden of rush hour traffic before them all, but it would never be truly easy maneuvering one of these engines through city streets. If he'd had space in his mind to do more than focus on the possibilities a warehouse fire could bring, Killian would likely applaud his team members manning these vessels right now.

By the time they arrived, station thirty-two was already on site and making moves to start an offensive against the blaze and when Killian touched base with their Captain the plan was made clear. This would be a three-pronged fight: They'd attack from the exterior, the lower levels and a special unit entering from higher above. Thirty-two would provide the higher reaches and some exterior work, leaving Killian and Graham leading the majority of their team inside.

Conversation was brief, with just the basic directions of the plan in place, and though there was some idea of what they might be walking into, none of them were stupid enough to think they could totally anticipate this fire. That should have gone unspoken and be branded in the minds of every fighter on this team, but Killian repeated that sentiment again for the record into his headset.

"We all come home tonight, and we do that by sticking the course and following orders. You got that?"

"Yes, Sergeant," his team responded and then they were off, cutting through the smoke and flame to try and do their job and prevent more damage to this section of the docks.

Visibility in the warehouse was low thanks to the billowing smoke, but it wasn't the worst Killian had ever been through, and at first he was confident in every move his team made. They made note of what corners and portions could be swept through first, and the primary objective was to see if anyone was inside. This wasn't a residential building, but there was always the chance with big spaces like this of someone coming in for some reason and not being accounted for. They needed to clear every corner they could and then start the hard work, but all through this each member of their team knew when to call out and check in.

"We've got a problem, Sergeant," Will called out at one point and then he flashed his light towards a far corner that had a half a dozen large drums of a material they couldn't ascertain from this distance. "Probably flammable; could go up and mess up the whole structure." 

"Thirty-two be advised we've got a possible accelerant on the north side along the walls. Abort entry," Killian said into the radio, hearing the acknowledgment of the other team just before a blast came from those tubs. The force of the blast was harsh and harrowing, and just as Will had expected it created a host of problems, not the least of which was the added instability of the beams above them.

"Tink, where are we out outside?" Killian asked, already anticipating her response.

"Those flames spiked high sir, and it's infiltrated the warehouse next door. We're trying to control it."

 _Damnit_! Killian thought to himself. That would change the plan and just as he was formulating their need to get out of here, Graham mirrored his thoughts with a proclamation of his own.

"It's too hot in here, Serg! We gotta tackle this thing outside!" Graham exclaimed and Killian agreed, ordering everyone out of there now, but from the corner of his eye Killian noticed one of his men lagging behind. It was Gus, their probie, and his staggered movements and bent over frame immediately told Killian what was wrong: the smoke was getting to him and so something must be wrong with his suit.

"Get everyone out!" Killian ordered Graham and then without thought for anything else Killian sprinted back the extra distance, grabbing onto Gus just as it seemed his body might give way.

The man's knees went weak, but he was conscious and that was something. Killian tried to tell him to hold on, but all of this was pure instinct now. He had to make a way for them out of this and it was easier said than done. Gus wasn't a tiny guy by any means, but Killian had carried more and been through worse. He didn't have any real fears until a portion of the rafters above came down, blocking their original path out and separating them from the rest of the team.

"Damn it!" Killian yelled to no one in particular, but he scouted another way, not letting himself fear what he had to do. Right now the key was survival and getting him and Gus out of there as fast as he could.

It was hard to find an answer right away, and that wasn't helped by the continued calls on his attention from the others through their headsets. He begged them all for quiet and to keep going, but with every passing second doubt crept in. Then when a path seemed impossible to find, Killian felt this unfamiliar need welling inside him. He couldn't accept defeat – he had to keep going. There was too much to fight for, and one woman in particular who he had to see again. He had to get out of here and then home to see her.

Clutching onto that feeling that he could not fail, Killian meandered around the wreckage and got them to the exit, but he could feel the damage to his suit when they made it into the blinding brightness of outside and knew he'd nicked himself a few places and risked a few burns. Graham was right about those temps, it was too hot in there, and he was gasping for air by the time they got outside.

"We need some help over here!" Graham yelled as he and Killian looked over a clearly dazed Gus who was spread out on the ground a safe distance from the blaze.

Graham made quick work of checking Gus' equipment and saw the fracture in his mask and mouthpiece, making note of it to Killian. Now the only question was had that been there when Gus grabbed it before, and if so, did the man realize how bloody dangerous it was to go into a fire without every piece of equipment working at top ability? At the same time the EMTs responded, treating Gus and assessing that there was some damage from the inhalation and a mild concussion from some of the jerked motions Killian had to make to get them out but nothing terribly serious.

"We gotta take him to Mass Gen, but it doesn't look life threatening," Thomas said leading Killian to sigh in relief. Well that was one thing they didn't have to worry about.

"Wouldn't have been able to say the same thing if you hadn't gone back for him, Serg" Will noted and Killian shook his head, not wanting them all to get sidetracked.

"We can hash it all out later. Right now we've got to be mindful. We can't take our eyes off of this," Killian said, mentally calculating that everyone on his team was now outside and safely battling the flames. They were and that gave him some small comfort.

"There's no _we_ right now, Sarg. You've gotta get checked out too. Last thing we need is you falling apart on us" Will argued, all of his teasing from before long gone. There was almost a command in his friend's voice, as if he were the superior in this situation. It made Killian laugh, but the sound came out harsh and grating and provided no comfort for any of the others.

"I've got this for now," Graham promised and Killian nodded, knowing it was better to let them clear him in the ambulance and keep his eye on things from afar then to fight them on it and find out there was trouble later.

In the end Killian was willing to give the paramedics twenty minute of time and in that they confirmed that his own injuries were minimal. He heard the phrase 'close call' a few more times than he would have liked, but Killian also knew they were right. His suit had managed to take most of the hit today, but he'd have some aches and pains for a few days, and he was a little cut up here and there. As it was he was damn lucky, and so was Gus. This whole scenario could have played out very differently.

But Killian wouldn't let himself linger on that. Instead he returned to his post by the ladder and with his people until they were called off and relieved. The blaze was dying down (thanks to the milder weather that meant the water wasn't freezing as it would have just a few days ago) by the time his team departed, and all along the ride home there was silence as if the crew knew just how near they'd been to a more tragic afternoon. Only when they were back at the house did Will speak up.

"Shift's over in twenty minutes and I'm sure probie will still be at Mass Gen."

The chorus of agreements signaled to Killian that they'd all be going to see him, but Killian didn't think he could face that today. He needed the space to get his head on straight before going to see Gus, otherwise he ran the risk of berating the poor kid for his rookie mistake. From the way Graham said nothing and stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, Killian took that his Lieutenant felt the same way.

"I'll brief the Captain on what happened and check on Gus after. Maybe by then I'll stand a chance of not reading him the riot act."

"I appreciate it, mate," Killian said readying himself to get out of here. He was in need of a shower and some clean clothes and then he'd be heading directly to Emma's. Well that was if she could see him, which he desperately hoped she could.

"Tink will take you home," Graham said and Killian started to refuse but it was Tink who put her foot down.

"Don't even start. You're going home and that's that."

Killian decided not to argue and figured the slight delay wouldn't kill him. Though he didn't want to have to be patient, Killian would be to put his crew at ease and it would give him time to get himself a bit more under control before he saw Emma. Without that chance he might just take her in his arms and never let go.

"Hey Sergeant?" Graham called out later when Killian was just about to leave with Tink. Killian turned back to his colleague, finding his friend looking serious. "When we were joking earlier about who has which job, I didn't mean anything by it, and if I had, I definitely wouldn't mean it after today. This house needs you."

"A Sergeant is only as good as his team, Graham. You'll learn that soon enough," Killian offered, slapping his new friend on the shoulder in an unspoken salute of thanks before heading out in the hopes of finding Emma, the woman who had unintentionally seen him through today in a truly miraculous way.

…

Distractions while on duty weren't something that Emma or Ruby often found themselves subject to. There was a state of mind both friends entered when they were officially on the clock and serving this city that they didn't mess with. They prided themselves on being on their A game anytime they donned their badge, but today a wrench was thrown in their usual way of doing things and it all stemmed from one call that came over the radio:

" _We've got a possible four alarm in progress at 69 Harrison. Be advised that firehouses sixty-one and thirty-two are en route and patrol from District three is clearing the area and setting a perimeter."_

That warning had been sent out three hours ago and the fire had been roaring away steadily according to the updates Ruby and Emma had been able to get. They weren't able to sit on the radio waves listening because they still had work to do, but the situation wasn't far from either of their minds. It followed them through secondary interviews from an incident from the last shift, consulting with some academy teachers who wanted them to give a lecture on rising through the ranks, and a drive-by check of one of the local businesses where the owner was wary of people casing for an easy robbery mark.

But finally when their shift was over, Emma and Ruby came to the unspoken agreement that they were sticking together until there was word one way or another. Now they were sitting at the counter of the bar just across the way from the station and waiting over a drink for what Emma had to believe would be a routine end to a pretty bad fire. She couldn't let herself linger in thoughts that something could go wrong because this was their reality. Killian was a firefighter and he loved what he did. Emma had seen that same dedication when it came to her Dad and his work too, and that passion and capability would keep him safe. It just had to.

At the same time though, Emma was craving some kind of closeness with Killian right now, and she'd found it with what Ruby acknowledged was a peculiar choice in drink for her. Rum wasn't usually Emma's go to choice, but Killian liked it and the other night when he'd invited her to his apartment for the first time it was all he'd had to offer. It was nice though, and the taste and burn on her tongue helped zap away some of the underlying current of worry and reminded her of the kisses they'd subsequently shared that night at his place.

"How did your Mom do this for so long?" Ruby asked, clearly feeling the uncertainty a little more than Emma currently was.

That's not to say that Emma wasn't worried; there were a lot of factors when it came to firefighting that could put Killian and his crew at risk, and it wasn't exactly the safest line of work by any means, but Mary Margaret Nolan had always been a beacon of strength and hope when her husband was called into the line of duty and she'd passed that onto Emma. You couldn't worry until the problems came. That wasn't any way to live.

"A lot of cocoa and a lot of random hobbies. You know all those needlepoint signs my parents have in their house?" Emma asked and Ruby nodded. "Those started one summer when there were a string of arson cases in my Dad's district, and they just never stopped."

"Well if I follow in your mother's footsteps you can be damn sure I'll drink something stronger than hot chocolate and have dirtier puns on my pillow cases," Ruby said, trying to joke with Emma despite the continued unease.

"I could help you with some of those if you want," a voice said from behind them and when they turned around it was Graham. Immediately Ruby was in motion, pulling him down for a kiss that totally disregarded everyone in the place, Emma included. But when they came back up for air (after a rather long and passionate interlude), Graham looked mighty pleased with the warm welcome. "Well hello to you too."

"Is the fire out?" Emma asked and Graham turned to her with an answer at the ready.

"Almost. We got relieved half an hour ago, though. I'm about to head to Mass Gen and check on one of our guys."

Emma's face must have given her concern away though she tried to conceal it as best she could, but when Graham filled in that it was one of the new people on the squad and that Killian was the one who got him out, Emma's heart restarted again. Killian was safe – and that was what mattered.

"I usually wouldn't say this – we've got fire house superstitions after all – but this one was pretty close, Emma. Killian's a tough guy, but anyone would be a little shaken up after what he went through. I don't even know how he managed it honestly."

"Is he at the station?" Emma asked, already grabbing her jacket, ready to go.

"No, he's home. I had Tink make sure he got there and I just got a text to confirm it. Maybe you should -,"

"I think Emma's got a plan already, Graham," Ruby said, nodding at Emma in a silent exchange. Emma knew if she needed anything Ruby would be there for her and she appreciated it, but right now all she needed was to see Killian and make sure he was really okay.

Getting out of the bar and back to her car, Emma tried to map out exactly what to do here. She and Killian had only been dating a couple of weeks and it was still new and fresh between them, but she wanted to be what Killian needed today and she was also a little selfish in wanting the comfort of being with him too. Despite the brave face she'd held the past few hours she was worried, and the only relief for that built up emotion would be seeing Killian again.

Emma debated calling him and reaching out to check that coming over was even a good idea, and then she considered bringing something with her, but she was at a loss. What did you bring someone who fought a fire and nearly lost? She didn't know the answer, and when it was her parents in that situation, her Dad always said the best remedy was coming home to his family. They might not be at that level yet, but Emma did know that she mattered to Killian, and if there was even a chance that her presence would help him then she needed to give him that.

Just as Emma parked her car in front of Killian's loft, her phone rang and the sound split through Emma's internal planning about what to say and how to act and jolted her back to the present. Emma fully intended to ignore whoever was on the other end of this call, but then she saw it was Killian and she knew she had to answer even as she was crossing the street to get to him right now.

"Killian," Emma said, not having anything else but him name that she could think to say right now, and from the relieved sigh on the other end of the phone he didn't seem to mind.

" _God it's good to hear your voice, love."_

"Rough day?" She asked, already knowing it had been worse than rough and Killian let out a half-hearted chuckle.

" _I've certainly had better,"_ he said as Emma managed to slip inside the building when another tenant was leaving. She headed up the stairs two at a time as he made a request that warmed her heart. _"I was wondering... is there any way I might see you tonight, love? I know you've had a long day of your own but…"_

"I think that might be arranged," Emma agreed and before Killian could reply with any kind of particulars, she knocked at his front door and found him on the other side looking downright thrilled to see her.

"Emma," he said, forgetting his phone and pulling her into his arms quickly.

She melted into Killian's embrace without hesitation and then she closed her eyes, trying to deal with the fact that the smell of smoke still lingered on him. It was just another reminder for her of what Graham had said – they'd had a real close call today and she could have possibly lost this man she'd only just found. To combat the swell of emotion that thought brought, Emma tried to ground herself in the fact that he was really here.

Beyond the smoke was the familiar scent that she'd come to associate with Killian, and the warmth of his arms around her. She felt that same comfort that only Killian ever provided and Emma felt even more secure in her choice to come here as he mumbled relieved words. They were whispered so low she couldn't hear much more than the slight lilt of his action and the reverent tone but they were perfect all the same.

Finally Emma pulled back to look at him and she took everything in, wiping away a slight smudge of black soot he'd missed from his handsome face and noticing the scratches he'd accrued in today's action. If she had to guess he'd be a little worse for wear all over, but he was here and whole and that was the most important thing.

"I can't believe you're here," he said, clearly still stunned.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," she confessed.

With that Emma pressed a kiss to his lips that went from soft and sweet to heated all too fast. Emma understood why that was. They were both trying to find a way to channel the immense emotions in the room, but she didn't want to get so caught up in the physical that she wasn't really there for Killian. So as hard as it was to pull back, Emma did so, looking back into his eyes that now seemed slightly warmer and offering a small smile.

"The way I see it we have to options. You tell me what happened today over some rum, _or_ we actively avoid what happened today, also with rum. Your call."

Killian's smile actually reached his eyes in that moment, and he ran his thumb along her cheek, gazing at her with this mix of affection and awe that made Emma feel like she was so much more powerful than she felt. The only thing she could offer Killian right now was company and maybe the comfort of listening, but he made her feel like she was the answer to all of his problems with a simple look.

"You are remarkable, Emma. I hope you know that," he whispered, sending a thrill of pleasure through her. Then he took her hand in his and led her to the couch as he went to go get them two glasses and the bottle of rum she knew that he had here. When he was back, Killian made sure to keep no distance between them, and Emma was pulled into his arms, loving that way that she was so wrapped up in him and connected like this.

"So what's the verdict?" Emma asked and Killian chuckled shaking his head.

"Part of me is tempted to take you up on the offer of avoidance, but I promised myself a long time ago I wouldn't do that anymore. Better to face the darkness head on than suffer the fall out later."

Emma was so relieved to hear that he felt that way, because she'd always seen things that way in her line of work too. Her parents taught her from the start of her time on the force that bad things would happen. Cases would go south in an instant, people would get hurt or worse, and the good guys didn't always win despite what the fairy tales said. But the only way through pain was to face it, and the only way to keep in jobs like these was to acknowledge the risk and to accept that things happened for a reason, even if there was no explanation you could understand.

"Graham said something about the probie…" Emma urged on and Killian nodded.

"Aye, Gus. He's a good man but wet behind the ears. He should have seen the problem before it got so bad – his mask was damaged even before we faced the flames - but he's still new and he's still got that need for the action over safety. He hasn't yet learned that a fire doesn't care if your heart's in the right place. Destruction comes to anything that stands in its path and today it could have taken him."

"But you didn't let that happen," Emma said, not knowing the full details but instinctively guessing that Killian would always be mindful of the men and women of his house.

"No, I didn't. But it wasn't easy, and there was a moment in there when I… when I thought I might have made the wrong call. I couldn't see a way out of there, but I had to."

Emma's hand ran along his chest as she stayed tucked into him. She could feel the tightness in her throat as it constricted with residual fear. God that must have been terrifying – knowing that you were trying to save someone and that you might have just sacrificed yourself in the process. But it was also a spike in fear and emotion that she understood. She'd been in a few touch and go firefights before, had a few close calls where a bulletproof vest had made the difference between her coming home that night and never coming home again, but the fear was always there every time. Even if it was your instinct to protect others, it didn't make you feel brave, at least it never had for Emma.

"I thought of you in that moment, Emma. That moment when I didn't know if we'd get through that door, you were there. I heard your voice and thought to myself that I couldn't have heard it for the last time. I couldn't never see your smile again or watch the way your whole person lights up when you laugh. I had to get out of there, and so I did."

"Killian, I -,"

Killian put their glasses back down on the table before them before bringing Emma to face him completely. His earnestness in this moment was almost overwhelming, and the tears that had been forming through some of his professions about how much she meant to him became that much more prominent. He noticed them too, and Emma could hear the tautness of his tone as a response.

"Look, Emma, I don't want to rush things or make you feel like you have to feel a certain way, but I've known for a while that what we're doing here… it's bigger than anything I've done in my past. Being with you brings more than mere happiness to my world, love. It's like when I'm with you, I've the remedy to move past everything else."

Emma bit her lip, wanting to say the same thing to him because she could feel this connection he was talking about. A lot of her old fears and worries were assuaged by Killian's presence. He was a positive force in her life that didn't take, take, take, but gave her so much instead. Nothing about Killian was contrived or forced – he was totally genuine and that was so amazing to her, because it meant that all the intense emotions she had about him were actually mirrored back. For once she wasn't terrified of getting hurt. She trusted this man with her heart and she had given that trust to him faster than she'd ever been able to with anyone else.

"It's like I said though, love, I don't expect anything. I just -,"

In that moment, Emma couldn't stand to hear him second-guessing himself and she silenced his worries with another kiss. This time though, Emma didn't care about getting carried away, in fact she felt free to push for so much more with Killian because of what they'd just shared. This level of openness and honesty was invigorating even where it once would have terrified her and today Killian had let himself be vulnerable with her, which truly led Emma to believe that she could do the same with him. With Killian taking the risk didn't actually seem so risky, and walking away from the way she felt right now with him flush against her and seeking out more, just wasn't an option.

"This is different for me too," Emma said when they pulled back, her eyes fluttering open in time to see the adorably smitten look on Killian's face right now. It made her whole body heat even more than the kiss had and it prompted her further with her confessions. "And I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to relationships, but I think if we've found something like this we should go for it, fast or not."

"God I love the sound of that," Killian said, and the undeniable honesty in the way he said it was the final breaking point for her. Suddenly Emma was so far past her more honorable intentions of before, and all she wanted was her and Killian as close as they could be.

Killian must have understood her shifts in need, and he was hardly unhappy with the prospect, sweeping her up with him to his bedroom (despite the injuries she knew he must have), and taking her breath away with kisses and attentions that never stopped. He was everywhere all at once, but still Emma wanted more and she knew just how to get it. With a firm push against his chest, she separated them, moving to strip away her clothes from today with a clear, slow intent.

"You gonna just stand there or are you going to join me?" Emma asked after a few seconds of watching Killian take her in. His eyes on her fed this part of Emma that had gone hungry for so long and she felt powerful and wanted in a way that she loved. But she also wanted him with her, and she wanted them both so lost in each other that they forgot everything about today and pushed past it to something so much more desirable.

"Can't fault a man for looking, love. You're like heaven itself."

Emma flushed at the compliment, but she was determined to make him move so she could get her chance to look her fill too. So when she was just about to remove her bra she stalled, flicking up a suggestive smile to this man who was totally focused on her.

"Lose the clothes, Sergeant. That's an order."

This time Killian quickly responded but there was a look in his eyes that said he was humoring her. She might have just given the command, but it was only a matter of time before he turned the tables and used that sexy as sin voice and his all too fantastic skill in making her mindless with pleasure against her. Just the thought had her mind racing, and by the time he'd actually gotten around to stripping away his shirt and pants she was shaking with the anticipation of everything that was coming.

When both of them were bared to each other, Emma stopped trying to fight for any control and she pulled him down for another scorching kiss as he maneuvered them to the bed. It was a dizzying kind of thrill as Killian's hands and mouth roamed against her naked flesh, and her heart pounded in her ears even as her whole body hummed out this sound of joy. She was so ready for this, and the incidents of their day had only made that sharp need for him so much keener. What if they'd lost this? Emma couldn't imagine this being over before it even really had the chance to begin.

Eventually Killian broke away from their hungry kiss and moved down her jaw to her neck and found that spot that always drove her crazy so quickly she had to moan and arch into him, but he had other ideas. The frazzled sense of awe he'd just had was long gone and instead he was all willful command. Killian was totally in control and from the flash of dark heat in his blue eyes Emma knew she was about to reap the benefits of that meticulous worship.

"A bit impatient aren't we, love?" Killian asked teasingly, with his hot breath against her neck and driving her crazy.

"Can you blame me?" Emma asked, not even bothering to deny it and Killian chuckled as his kisses moved lower along her flesh until he was at her breasts and smiling with that almost infuriatingly attractive grin of his.

"Not when I want you even more than you can possibly imagine."

Emma was going to argue that that seemed unlikely since he was the one making this a slow, meticulous exploration instead of the hard and fast release she knew he wanted, but then he was peppering her sensitive flesh with just the right mix of kisses, nips, and sucks designed to totally unwind her resistance.

And yes, maybe there was a chance that Emma could have pushed through that onslaught of pleasure to get him to go faster, but the only thing in her mind right now was that Killian needed this. Today had been too close and too dangerous, and now he was reminding them both of what they'd found together and what was waiting for them if they made it through the hard times and back into each other's arms.

In the midst of his glorious attentions to her breasts, Killian's hand trailed down her stomach creeping to the vee between her legs where Emma so desperately needed relief. The ache for him was straining to be released, and Killian's quick attentions to her clit were designed to spark that coiling need into something so much more fulfilling. Before Emma even imagined it could be possible she was falling apart and calling out his name, and when she came down from that haze of perfect feeling, the look in Killian's eyes was almost wild. He seemed addicted to making her come apart, and Emma swallowed harshly almost fearing just how much he was going to give her tonight to sate that need on his part.

She didn't have time to worry long though, not when Killian's mouth moved lower and lower in a rough then reverent way that would likely leave marks on her skin tomorrow. Emma didn't mind those abrasions. Actually she reveled in the thought that come the morning she'd have those spots of his creation to remind her of this moment right here, when Killian made her feel like anything was possible and she was destined to feel this good every damn day.

By the time he'd gotten to her inner thigh, Emma was pulsing with the need to have his mouth on her sex. Craving that feeling wasn't even a strong enough word for it – Emma thought she might die without it, and then he was there and she was gone for him all over again. It was pure magic, the feel of Killian making love to her this way and when she'd fallen apart by his ministrations again and was close to another shattering climax she pleaded with him to give them both more.

"Killian – I need you, _please_." 

Emma wasn't certain if it was the please or the expression of her need for him, but he mercifully responded by coming back up to her and taking her lips in a hard kiss again. This time she could taste herself and it felt so damn intimate and dirty and fucking perfect, but that was nothing to the moment when he thrust inside her, filling Emma with that feeling of total completion.

The string of curses from Killian made Emma want to laugh but she didn't have the chance when he was dead set on creating a rhythm that was as close to heaven sent as could be. She wanted to be frustrated at the fact that he'd done so much for her without giving her the chance to return the favor, but his continued praise that he lavished her with as he propelled them further told Emma that Killian had gotten exactly what he wanted. And in the end, all Emma could do was claw at him to get closer and plead for more of the same because she was so freaking close until suddenly she was there, falling apart and loving the fact that she'd brought him with her.

In the aftermath of that earth shattering release, Emma and Killian stayed curled up together in his bed, silently allowing their hands to roam. It was a calmer sense of searching, but Emma didn't have to look very hard to find what she was looking for. Killian brought her this sense of peace and belonging that she'd never known before, and from the smile on his face and the light in his eyes, Emma knew he was feeling it too. What they had couldn't be denied in anyway, and that fact led Emma to say something she'd been wanting to find the bravery to say for a while.

"I'm going to tell them," she whispered and Killian's brow furrowed at the words.

"Tell them?" he asked, not following her thoughts, which were admittedly random.

"I'm going to tell my parents the truth," Emma said and Killian's arms tensed for just a second until Emma ran her hand across his chest soothingly. "I'm going to tell them that this is real – that _we_ are real - and that in a few weeks when the mayor's office is tired of using us a PR prop, you aren't going anywhere."

"Damn right, I'm not," Killian growled, making Emma giggle as he pulled her closer to him again. "But perhaps you could wait until morning, love. I have a few thoughts left on how to spend the evening, and they weren't particularly conducive to seeing your folks." 

"Fair enough," Emma agreed before sealing the agreement with a kiss and falling into this remarkable man all over again.

 _ **Post-Note: So first and foremost I want to thank you all for your patience. As you guys can obviously tell this was a much longer break from this story than I at first anticipated but there were a couple of reasons for that. The first was that I knew I wanted this chapter to include a close call for the firehouse and I needed to make that work. I hate writing angst as you all know (and I would call this chapter angst-light at best) but it did take a long time to get all of that on the page for me. Plus this is a longer chapter as you guys can tell and I wanted to find the perfect smuffy ending to ease away any lingering anxieties from the first part of the chapter. Anyway, thank you all so much for reading and I truly hope you guys enjoy. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out, but hopefully faster than this one was!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Hello again everyone! I know it's been a little while but I am back with another chapter of False Alarms, and as promised it will bring Emma telling her parents (or at least one of them) the truth about her and Killian. There will be a part two to this chapter, but no worries – it isn't a terrible cliffhanger by any means. I just had too much to include to fit it all in one chapter. Anyway thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!**_

Killian Jones had long been a believer in signs. He'd always taken heed of the forces at play in the world around him and in the past he trusted his instincts to lead him in the direction he should go.

Those instincts had brought him to an occupation that he loved and had kept him alive in a field filled with risk and potential scares. They had gotten him on that plane a few months ago and to his new life here in Boston where he'd made good friends in the firehouse he now served in and had gotten the chance to reconnect with his brother and with Elsa. And they'd also led him to Emma, the one person who had come to mean everything to him in a relatively short amount of time.

But Killian's instincts weren't merely saying that Emma was special or that she was different. They were telling him that this thing he'd discovered with her was the kind of love people tended to dream of but rarely ever found. In only a matter of weeks Killian had fallen completely under her spell, and he knew that if it were solely up to him Emma would be his path forward from here on out. There was no way these feelings he had for her would change, except to grow and flourish into something even stronger, and he had no wish to hold back when it came to her. There were some things a man just knew, and Killian was certain that Emma was the one for him.

For that reason it had been incredibly difficult just twenty minutes ago to sneak out of his bed where Emma was still sleeping and to run a few doors down to the coffee shop that Emma had taken a liking to since first spending the night. Now he had her favorite order in hand with the intention of giving it to her in ten minutes or so when she was supposed to wake up for her shift at the precinct, but as he slipped into his apartment, Killian doubted whether he would have the strength to wake her up. Yes, her job should come first, and an honorable man would keep his promise and make sure she didn't oversleep, but he had left her looking so beautiful and relaxed, and he hated the idea of ruining that for her.

All of that worry, however, came to nothing, because no sooner had Killian come inside and placed their breakfast on the kitchen counter than Emma appeared in the doorway donning one of his t-shirts and a warm smile. Killian's gut clenched tightly at the sight of her, and the same longing and lust and love that he'd grown so accustomed to since meeting Emma swirled together and filled him with the rush of need. She was just so perfect, and so unassuming at the same time. Somehow it seemed that she didn't realize how gorgeous she was, but Killian was struck speechless by the sight of her looking so laid back and content here in his new home.

"I should have known you were off being a gentleman when I woke and you were gone," Emma said, coming over around the island and pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. It was just the lightest brush of her lips on his skin, but Killian felt that familiar zing of pleasure at the quiet kind of intimacy. This thing between them was easy in so many ways, and though this had never been his normal with anyone else, mornings spent together in such a way were exactly what he wanted with Emma.

"My hope was to be back before you even had the chance to notice," Killian confessed, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

The action brought Emma's curves flush against him and though Killian felt his desire for her rising, he also had the special joy of knowing it wasn't one sided. Emma was just as effected as he was, and Killian could tell that because of the newly added fire in her bright green eyes, and the way she licked her lips absentmindedly.

"I always notice when you aren't with me," Emma whispered and the words were almost too much for Killian to take.

God she was sweet, and with him Emma was so open and honest that it nearly took his breath away. Despite her earlier misgivings about trusting anyone, Emma had decided to give him a chance and Killian was working his ass off to never give her any reason to regret that decision. He wanted to be the one person she came to when things were good and when they were bad too. He wanted to be the only one to put this look of infatuation in her eyes, and to also make Emma smile and laugh as much as a woman of her caliber deserved. But mostly Killian just wanted to be present. He wanted to hold Emma in his arms and stake his claim and for Emma to stake hers too. What he was hoping for more than anything was that this romance between them never ended, and that someday he could make Emma fall as deeply in love with him as he had with her.

"Much as I love to hear you say that, you run the risk of me not let you leave this apartment when you tell me such things."

"About that… Ruby called. Seems like there was a scheduling mix up and we've only got a half shift. Meaning I have a whole extra hour to kill this morning _and_ a free afternoon. Any thoughts on what we might do with all that extra time?"

"I've an idea or two. Come back to bed with me and I'll show you," he whispered in her ear, delighting in the shiver of arousal that swept through her when he did.

"I thought you'd never ask," Emma quipped, pulling him back into his bedroom and shedding the t-shirt of his she'd donned, mystifying him in the moment.

"I don't understand how every time we do this you're somehow more beautiful than the last," Killian confessed, not giving a damn that he was showing all his cards to Emma. Let her know how hopelessly gone for her he was. He didn't care – he actually preferred it that way, with no secrets or anything in between them.

"And I don't understand how you get even more charming with every day that passes," Emma mused, playing it cool even as Killian watched that telltale flush of pink cross over her features. She moved with precision, closing the space between them as she slid off his shirt and the rest of his clothes, but as if she couldn't refrain from complimenting him, she did offer one not-so-small kindness. "Plus you're not so horrible to look at."

"You overwhelm me, love. What's a man to do with such an ego boost?" Killian asked, chuckling to himself. Emma bit her lip and shook her head, her still slightly tangled hair falling around her shoulders and making it impossible not to reach up to hold onto as she pulled him back into bed.

"Put it to good use and show me those ideas of yours of course."

"As you wish."

Emma actually giggled at his purposeful use of words and the newfound intensity Killian mustered to go about pleasing her as he spread her out along the soft sheets of the bed they'd shared all night together, but it turned into a thready sigh as Killian pressed kisses to her lips down her jaw and to her neck. He nipped at the spots that he knew always got her hot and bothered, enjoying the sensation of her pleasured moans washing over him as she let her uninhibited reactions come out. Very few things could ever compare to this feeling, and the knowledge that he was bringing Emma any kind of joy was the strongest aphrodisiac Killian could imagine.

The delicate balance of this moment, however, came from the time constraints Killian and Emma had before them. They had an hour at most to be together before she had to get ready to report for duty, and though Killian would have liked to tease and torment the both of them a little more, he wanted pure, unadulterated satisfaction before Emma left this bed. As such he teetered on the line of self-control, willing himself to move his mouth from her neck down her collar and lower to her breasts. His intention was to drive her into a frenzy hard and fast and when he bit just above where she wanted his mouth most, Killian knew he was on the right track. The breathy gasps and the feel of her fingers tightening in his hair were Emma's surest way of telling him she needed more.

Not one to deny Emma in any way or fashion, Killian caved to her wants, pleasing her breasts with his mouth and with his hand. He made sure she was in no way wanting, and though he wavered between achingly gentle and rough demand, he cut off those attentions before either of them was really ready.

" _Killian_."

The simple sound of his name on Emma's lips when she was lost to the bond between them was enough to make Killian's whole body tighten. It was almost melodic in it's reverberations, and though she was growing impatient, Emma was still waiting, needing him to make the call to push them forward. That deference and the fact that she trusted him to get this right sparked something in Killian and he kissed down the gentle curves and slopes of her body until he was at her sex and ready to take her with his mouth.

"Tell me what you want, Emma," he commanded, knowing that he was powerless to hold off much longer. They both so desperately needed this, but the sound of her eager and immediate response eased a tightly coiled need that had taken up space in Killian's chest.

"You, Killian. Just you."

It wasn't the explicit, dirty outline of all the things he knew she wanted him to do to her, but damn if it wasn't somehow better. The honesty in Emma's tone even underneath all of that pulsating desire was intoxicating, as was the sound of her pleasure when his mouth came down to meet her sex. He barely made contact and she was falling over into release thanks to how tightly wound she was, calling his name as she went, but Killian wasn't deterred in anyway. He waited out her climax, kissing gently at her inner thigh before returning to start the pleasurable torment all over again. All the while Killian watched Emma take every suck and tease and stroke of his tongue within her and at her clit, and he didn't pull back until she was once again on the brink and his own need to feel her and to fill her got too deep deny it any longer.

Killian kissed his way back up her body until finally he was back with Emma again. She looked happy and sated on some level, but that continuing need was burning bright behind all of that. It was also the only sign she gave of the impending switch that was to come. One second Killian was above her, the next she'd flipped their positions to take control and set the pace on her own terms.

"You know you're not the only one capable of teasing, right?" Emma asked, the hunger in her voice providing a sense of gravel that hadn't been there only moments before. Her hands traced down his body, purposefully enticing him into a whole other state of need.

"Aye, love. I know you to be capable of anything you put your mind to."

Killian hated to say that he'd totally figured Emma out (because the truth was this woman was still an enigma to him in so many ways) but his words, true as they were, provided their desired effect. She'd been flirting with him and lacing the space between them with a sensual threat of sorts that while magnificent, would have Killian at his wits end. There was truly only so much taunting he could take from Emma before going absolutely mad, but instead his soft, honest praise pushed her forward, sending those thoughts of stalling out of that beautiful mind of hers.

With a carefully crafted sultriness, Emma leaned down just an inch away from his lips and whispered a promise – though she might be desperate for relief right now and under a time crunch, she _would_ have her way with him exactly how she wanted later. This wasn't her surrendering, but a stalemate of sorts until she could come back and savor every moment with him like she really wanted.

"I'm yours, Emma. You can do with me whatever you please," Killian professed, and that was the final straw for both of them, setting them together to that blinding bliss that came swiftly and with an all-consuming force. It was magic, pure and simple, and as Killian struggled to catch his breath when he and Emma finally came down from the high, he knew he'd never find another way to feel as perfectly complete as he did right now.

For a while they lay there together not speaking, but both of them present and soaking up the last of this happy buzz between them. Killian would have given almost anything for just a few more minutes with Emma spent this way, but when the moment came that Emma did pull away to get ready for her day, he didn't try to change her mind. He was well aware of her commitments and her passion for her work, and there was no way he'd ever try and make Emma choose between staying with him and living up to the dreams she had carved out for herself.

So, instead of wallowing in the moment being over, Killian tried to busy himself with re-prepping that breakfast he'd procured before. He warmed the coffee, laid out the treats that he'd purchased, and hoped it would be as big a hit as it had been mornings past. But it wasn't until Emma came back into the kitchen with a smile on her face and a look in her eyes of being totally glad for being here that he felt any real consolation. Having her leave was almost worth it when he could witness this look of pure contentment that clung to his Emma in the early morning light.

"I didn't get the chance to thank you before, but I hope you know I'm grateful. This really made my day," Emma confessed, taking the bag with her morning pastry and the coffee he extended her way.

"And by _this_ you mean…" Killian trailed off, wanting Emma to clarify which set of cravings she was most gratified about being fulfilled. Maybe it was foolish of him, but when he was rewarded with a wry grin from the woman he loved, he couldn't regret his choice of over-the-top innuendo.

"I mean you and me. I like starting my mornings with you."

"As do I, love, and I'm hoping there are many more to come," Killian replied, his hand coming to hold her hip, and his thumb brushing at the edge of where her shirt had ridden up slightly, leaving one small patch of skin exposed.

"So I'll see you later?" Emma asked softly.

"Aye, love. I'll be here."

"Good," Emma replied, before stealing one last kiss and heading out of the apartment, leaving Killian feeling like he just had to get to this afternoon to find joy and completion once more.

….

If ever there was a time to work through a lingering problem, a low-stakes stakeout was it. Emma had learned that pretty early on in her policing career, and that pattern held true today too as she sat in her undercover squad car with Ruby, staring at the back of an old, Italian bar that was about as busy as one would expect on a Tuesday at noon.

Their reasons for being here were relatively straightforward. When the two friends had walked into the station that morning reporting for their shortened shift, they were assigned to a city-wide case involving drug running, mob enforcing, and murder for hire. It was a joint task-force take down between the BPD and the FBI, and it had apparently been months in the making, but basically the city just needed more manpower, and since there were officers from multiple precincts assigned to this investigation, Emma was relatively certain they weren't going to be the ones to pick up the perp. She'd stay vigilant of course, and she was making note alongside Ruby of any known affiliates as they came in and out of the place, but it was, at least right now, shaping up to be a pretty laid-back day of surveillance.

That casual quiet was something Emma was grateful for because it allowed her to stew a bit more on the only conundrum she was facing at the moment: how to tell her parents that she and Killian were really an item.

It had been almost a week since she told Killian that she was ready to do so, and though Emma had been just about to come clean a number of times, something always popped up that kept the truth from coming out. But Emma was anxious to be honest with her parents, and though part of her was scared shitless about how they'd react, Emma knew that things with her and Killian were worth fighting any resistance for. She was in love with this man to a degree that she could no longer deny, and with every day that love was growing stronger and surer. There was just something about her charming Sergeant that she couldn't resist, and Emma had given up on trying what felt like forever ago.

"Ugh, I hate when this happens!" Ruby suddenly yelled, filling the car with unanticipated sound and making Emma jump. "Did I, or did I not, _just_ buy those little hostess cupcake things?"

"You did," Emma replied when she'd collected herself as Ruby continued scanning the floor at her feet for the treats in question. How she would find them, Emma didn't know. There were currently so many snacks Emma couldn't imagine how anyone could eat them all, but if anyone could rise to the challenge it was Ruby. "I specifically remember, because you made a joke to the guy at the convenience store about how 'HoHos' was the best name for a fake pastry, hands down."

"Right! But then where the hell are they?" Ruby grumbled, clearly not pleased at being denied her chocolate fix. Finally, however, she pulled the processed treats from where they'd fallen out of the bag and under the seat and she waved them excitedly. "Jackpot! You want one?"

"I'll pass," Emma said easily as Ruby looked her over before smirking.

"What? Filled up on sweets with Sergeant Sexy this morning?" Emma rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Don't try and pretend you weren't with Graham too. I know for a fact you spent the night at his place." Emma didn't tell her friend it was because she was wearing the exact same outfit she'd worn yesterday, but since Ruby was as good a cop as Emma, she probably knew what gave her away.

"Wasn't gonna," Ruby replied. "But not everyone's got a boyfriend who gets up at the crack of dawn to get us donuts, do we?"

Emma couldn't stop herself from smiling at the comment because Ruby was right. Emma had stumbled onto something truly remarkable when she met Killian. No guy in her life had ever been as thoughtful or as providing as he was. It was like his own personal mission to make Emma happy and see that she was cared for, and for someone who had long prided herself on being self-sufficient and not needing anyone to take care of her romantically it was a hell of a change.

"Are you saying you couldn't get Graham to buy you donuts if you asked nicely?" Emma jabbed as she grabbed the camera and snapped a few shots of an old man walking into the bar. She checked the list and saw he was a person on the fringe of this investigation – definitely not the top shark they were looking for.

"I'm saying donuts aren't usually what's on my mind when I get that man of mine alone."

Emma shook her head and smiled, unable to hold back at Ruby's blatant innuendo. It was on the tip of her tongue to make another joke, but instead she went back to snapping her pictures and taking her notes, assuming that the topic was behind them and that they'd return to the blissful quiet of today's detail. Emma could definitely use it to make sense of this lingering problem with telling her folks, but Ruby wasn't having any more of the silent contemplation.

"Okay are we just going to fake it all day, or are you finally going to come clean?" Ruby asked, pulling Emma from the camera's viewfinder and back to look at her partner.

"Come clean?" Emma asked, knowing Ruby was onto her even if she hadn't directly brought anything up.

"Oh come on, Emma. If you think any harder about whatever it is that's bothering you that pretty little head of yours is going to explode, leaving me without a partner and with a hell of a mess to clean."

"Ha ha, very funny," Emma countered, shaking her head as she leaned back a bit in her chair taking a deep breath. "I'm trying to figure out how to tell my parents about Killian."

"That's it?!" Ruby asked. " _That's_ what you've been slowly dying over all week?"

"Hey! I haven't been _dying_. I've been… anxiously pondering," Emma clarified, knowing there wasn't much of a difference.

"Right, well I thought we had a real situation on her hands. This is easy, just tell them the truth and they'll be happy for you. When have your Mom and Dad ever not been supportive?"

That was a good point and Emma could count the instances of her parents questioning her choices on one hand. Most of those were also stupid, childish ideas she'd had as a teen or in moments of too much emotion, and her parents almost always ended up being right in the end. But even if Emma knew Ruby was probably correct she still hesitated. There was just something about the idea of them not approving of Killian that scared the living daylights out of Emma, and it probably had to do with the fact that she'd never cared for anyone the way she cared for him.

"But what if you're wrong? My Dad's barely good with all of this now and he thinks it's for show. When I tell him Killian isn't going anywhere he's not exactly going to be leading the parade of approval." Emma let the observation hang between the two of them, but when Ruby didn't answer right away, Emma looked to her friend and found her grinning like the Cheshire cat. "What?"

"Oh nothing. You just seem very secure of Killian's continued presence in your life."

"I want him to be in my life," Emma admitted, knowing Ruby was going to have a field day with that. "Things with Killian are different – he's different – and I don't know, he just makes me feel ready for more."

"Are those wedding bells I hear in your near future?" Ruby asked giddily.

"No!" Emma countered with too much force to be normal. "I mean not now anyway. We're still getting used to us being together. It's only been a couple of months."

"But you see yourself with Killian long term?" Ruby prodded, and Emma caved with another nod of her head.

"Yeah, I do. I don't know how to explain it, but it's like for a long time my future was kind of hazy. I knew what I wanted in theory, but I didn't have the details. With Killian I feel like the picture's getting clearer, and I'm totally fucking terrified, but…"

"But you're also hopeful that you've found what you were looking for," Ruby finished for Emma.

"Yeah."

Emma felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders once she finally admitted that truth out loud. Vocalizing these thoughts wasn't something she'd really done before, but it felt good to put it out there and into the universe. Obviously there was no one else she trusted more than Ruby, and underneath all the joking and the ribbing, there were also few people on the planet who gave Emma advice as worth hearing as her partner.

"You want to know what I think?" Ruby asked and Emma pretended to hesitate for the sake of appearances before nodding. "I think he's it, Ems. I mean I see the two of you together and it's just… right. He's a good guy, and he's obviously totally and ridiculously in love with you, but it's more than that. He gets you, and there's none of that 'but you're a cop' bullshit, or the needless ego some guys have. It's just a genuine thing, and honestly, it's really nice to see you find that."

Touched by her partner's moment of honest vulnerability, Emma felt herself getting a little choked up, but she was determined not to give away too much. She wouldn't let her emotions get the best of her, so she diverted in a way typical of the two friends – with a joke at the other's expense.

"Wow, Graham has really made you soft. I mean 'he gets me?' That's some real sappy stuff."

Now it was Ruby's turn to roll her eyes, but a moment passed between the two partners that they both understood. Emma was actually about to put words to the feeling of appreciation she had for Ruby's advice and assurances, but then something jumped out at her through the windshield, and she saw that despite her earlier assumptions, the wanted perp of the day _was_ going to turn up, and that she and Ruby would be the one's to call it in. With only the tiniest nod in the direction of the door, Ruby glanced that way and then reached for the radio.

"Dispatch, this is Detectives Lucas and Nolan requesting back up at Tony's on West and Commonwealth. We've got eyes on the target. I repeat, we have eyes on the target."

The feedback from the radio feed told Emma and Ruby they'd have their requested back up in two minutes, leaving both of them just enough time to vest up and grab their back up protection from their hidden places in the vehicle. It should have been a relatively seamless process, but there was the added addition this time of the distinct crumples and cracklings of all of Ruby's snack bags still on the floor.

"You better hope we don't have to book this guy or get a commander out here for this bust. Because this little collection of yours is definitely not up to code," Emma joked, thinking of how anyone else would be worried about a policy infraction, but Ruby just scoffed, completely unaffected by the threat of higher ups.

"Code schmode, girl. We're coming back with the bad guy, we're untouchable."

Emma laughed at the ridiculous statement because it just wasn't true, but then it was time to get her head in the game once more. When the backup arrived, they carried out a basic enter and sweep, successfully arresting the perp and his associates and reading him his Miranda rights before handing him off to their FBI counterparts. And while Ruby was right in saying they would get some credit and praise for this bust, Emma also couldn't overlook the moment when they returned to the cruiser and Ruby discretely tried to empty out their car of all the trash she'd stockpiled. It was quite a difficult task given the sheer volume of food she'd consumed, and Ruby wasn't exactly graceful as she tried to get rid of it all.

"Don't say a word," Ruby warned and Emma shook her head and put her hands up in a sign of defeat.

"Wasn't gonna."

"And I'm driving back," Ruby called out as she dumped her left over snack wrappers in a trash can on the end of the street. Emma shrugged, not caring either way, but finding it odd when ten minutes later, Ruby drove right past their station.

"Ruby what are you doing?" Emma asked, though she had a sneaking suspicion of what might be happening.

"Making sure you don't chicken out. Now call your Mom and tell her you'll be at her office in five. You've waited long enough. Clock's ticking, girl."

With her conjectures confirmed, Emma did just that, calling to check in with her mother's assistant at HQ and finding, luckily, that her Mom had some space free in her afternoon. Now Emma just had to figure out a way to drop this bomb on her without totally disrupting her mother's workday.

"I'll get Leroy to clock you out," Ruby said when they'd pulled up in front of the big stone building Emma had grown very familiar with over the course of her life. "Just remember – you're parents, crazy as they can seem - are actually sane people. It'll be fine, I promise."

"I hope you're right," Emma said, closing the door behind her and waving to Ruby as she drove off before heading inside and facing the music. Emma made it through all the checkpoints and hurtles with no problem, and then she was there, standing at her mother's door and knocking lightly with all the confidence of a teenager late for curfew.

"Honey, there you are! I heard about the Vincetti bust – you and Ruby always seem to find the action don't you?" Her mother said, clearly proud at Emma's making a name for herself on the force.

"More like it finds us," Emma joked and her mother laughed.

"That's usually the way it goes. But you got here at the best time – your Uncle Lance came and dropped off some of Aunt Gwen's biscotti. I am in heaven, but I wont lie there was a risk I would eat all of these myself before you called," her mother admitted as she came and pulled Emma further into the room.

"That's okay Mom, I'm not actually that hungry," Emma said, not getting into details on why that was because she was too busy stressing herself into a frenzy to even think of eating. It was crazy to her that busting into a place filled with armed mobsters was somehow less unsettling than telling her Mom she was dating someone, but Emma would deal with that later. Right now she had to focus.

"Oh, well I'll send you some to take home. Maybe don't tell Ruby though. Knowing that girl's appetite you'll end up with none."

In other circumstances Emma would have laughed at that, or riffed on the ever-easy joke that Ruby loved her food, but right now there was a knot in the pit of her stomach. She needed to just speak her peace and then face the fallout. That was the only way to do this.

"Mom, there's something I have to tell you," Emma blurted out, trying not to cringe at the desperate tone of her voice.

"Oh?" her mother asked, now nervous and no doubt worrying about some crazy possibility that wasn't actually an issue.

"It's about Killian."

Mary Margaret's eyes brightened for only the slightest moment, but it was still a tell to Emma. She didn't know exactly what her mother was thinking, but even the subject of Killian had sparked something in her mother. With quick motions, Mary Margaret sat down in her seat, signaling for Emma to do the same, before breaking into a warm, almost triumphant smile.

"Okay, so tell me," her mother said eagerly and Emma cleared her throat slightly before deciding to just dive in.

"We're not just dating for the press. We're… together. Like for real."

As the words left Emma's lips she felt a weight of burden pulling off her shoulders, and even without a reaction from her Mom Emma took a deep, steadying breath. Finally the truth was out there, and now, no matter what her Mother did with it, Emma knew she'd done something right. Both she and Killian deserved to really explore this relationship in the open, and Emma was done with hiding how she felt or obscuring what was real from certain people.

"That's it?" Her mother asked, looking a little disappointed. Emma, meanwhile, was standing there stunned at this response.

"What do you mean that's it – I just told you I'm _dating_ someone! As in serious commitment, not seeing other people, boyfriend/girlfriend dating. Me, your serially non-committal daughter is dating someone, and you don't think that's a big deal?"

Emma didn't mean to get so heated in her reply, it was just so hard to imagine that this was the reaction. In all the scenarios Emma had run through her brain, this was not one of them. But before she could wallow much longer in the confusing, muddled mess of her mother's response, Mary Margaret moved back around the desk and hugged Emma tight in a show of true warmth that Emma very much needed.

"Of course it's a big deal, Emma, and I am so happy for you – more happy than I can say. I only meant that I already knew the two of you were together, that's all."

"You did?!" Emma asked, the question coming out as more a squeak than anything else.

"Honey, no offense, but you haven't exactly been hiding," her mother replied casually and almost with a tone of sympathy, as if Emma's attempts to shield the truth from her parents had been pathetically underwhelming.

"Um, yeah we have. Or I have – Killian didn't want to hide anything," Emma confessed. In the face of that comment, her mother's eyes lit up even more and her smile widened.

"I knew I liked that boy. He reminds me of your father in that way. David wanted everyone to know the second we got together too, but I made him wait. I wanted to be sure it would all be okay before making it official," Mary Margaret mused, her expression shifting to that thoughtful kind of love that Emma had only ever seen inspired by her Dad.

"So when did you figure it out?" Emma asked, now more than curious as to what had given her away. She would guess it was the banquet, but with her mother, Emma never really knew.

"The night of your first date," her mother said excitedly and Emma groaned, hating that her mother had known essentially from the start and never said anything. Here Emma was worrying for weeks over something that wasn't even a secret in the first place.

"Do I even want to know how? Please tell me you didn't have someone tailing me," Emma pleaded, closing her eyes for a moment and trying to imagine just how off the rails her mother would have to be to send a detail after her fully grown daughter.

"Of course not… but there were signs. A man's leather jacket on the side of your couch, a new bouquet of flowers when you never buy them for yourself, a take out box from some fancy place outside the city on your counter, not to mention Killian's car out front," her mother said casually as she ticked the clues off one by one.

"You knew his car, Mom?! So much for not tailing us," Emma grumbled as her mother clucked out a sound of disapproval.

"I never said I hadn't done my homework Emma, and besides, it was just a tiny little background check and a peek in his personnel file. Really it was nothing when you think about it. The man was courting my daughter. I couldn't let him do that without having the facts. What kind of mother would that make me?"

"Does Dad know?" Emma asked, hoping that maybe he did and then Emma wouldn't have to break it to him, but then her mother shook her head with a knowing look.

"If he does he hasn't learned it from me, and I think there would have been a few more conversations about you two if he knew for certain where things stand."

"A few _more_?" Emma asked and her mother nodded, causing Emma to grimace. Great, her parents had already been talking about this. She could only imagine how involved they'd get now that things with Emma and Killian were official.

"Someday you'll have your own children, Emma, and when that day comes you'll understand," her mother said as she came around to give Emma another hug. "All that your father and I want is for you to be happy, and so yes, we worry, and we talk, and we do a little digging. That's just being a parent."

"I think it's a little early to be talking to me about children," Emma said, and her mother broke into a full-blown grin.

"You never know. You might be ready sooner than you think."

Emma simply gaped at her mother's response, but even if it was hinting at some big steps Emma didn't actually feel ready for, there was an element of comfort that came from her mother speaking this way. This was more of what Emma had expected when she came here today, and so even if it felt outlandish and way too far out there, it was more easily responded to.

"Not that I'm rushing you," her mother said quickly. "There's a lot of steps before then… like a wedding."

"Oh yeah," Emma groaned. "Totally not rushing."

"You'll just have to learn to forgive me, Emma. I know you probably hate all of this attention, but to be fair you made me wait an awful long time to meet any of your admirers. You've never let anyone get too close to your heart, so to see you do that now is exciting and new. A mother dreams of days like this, you know."

"I've been dreaming of it too, only for me it's more a nightmare than a delight," Emma muttered and her mother openly laughed at that, surprising her.

"I know you're worried about your father Emma, but I told you before you can leave him to me. It'll all be alright, you'll see," her mother promised as she picked up her phone and dialed out to her secretary. "Hi, Molly? I'm going to be heading out for the rest of the afternoon. Can you call the undersecretary and reschedule our meeting? You're a doll, thank you."

"Wait, we're _both_ going? _Now_?" Emma asked, anxious anticipation flooding her system all over again.

"There's no time like the present," her mother affirmed cheerily and Emma begrudgingly agreed, but then something dawned on her, something she'd been too distracted to point out earlier.

"Hey Mom?" Emma asked, as her mother went to grab her jacket.

"Yes, Emma?"

"What did you think I was going to tell you when I walked in here? You seemed disappointed when I told you about Killian and me dating… what did you expect?"

"I thought you were going to say that you're in love with him," her mother said after a moment's pause and then she patted Emma's arm lightly. "But that's alright you'll get there."

"I actually might already be there," Emma whispered and her mother looked positively elated at the admission.

"Oh Emma, this is just…" her mother started tearing up instantly, making Emma's throat tighten in the process. "This is good. This is really good!"

"You think?" Emma asked, and her Mom nodded, her hand coming to hold Emma's face in hers.

"I _know_. Love is a powerful thing, Emma. When you find it, you hold onto it, even if it's terrifying. It isn't always easy, but it is worth it and it deserves to be fought for. You got that?"

"Yes, ma'am," Emma replied, a smile curling at her lips as her mother chuckled through her happy tears.

"Well alright then. Now, let's go see your father. If we time this right we can hit him right after his afternoon coffee, which always puts him in a good mood."

 _God willing,_ Emma thought to herself as she followed her Mom out the front door and to a confrontation that was bound to be just slightly less than enjoyable.

 _ **Post-Note: So as some of you may have guessed at this point, this story has been giving me a little bit of trouble, but I am happy to announce that I think I have finally figured out how I am seeing the ending of this fic playing out. It will include a few more chapters and an epilogue, but I promise we will be tying up this story with my usual amount of fluff. I can't promise that the updates will be fast, but they are coming, so I appreciate your patience and thank you in advance. I hope you have a great rest of your day and thanks again for reading!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Hello all! We are back this week with a new chapter of False Alarms and it's bringing more family integration (but also some much needed CS smuff too). Expect Killian's confrontation with David and Emma meeting Liam and Elsa for the first time, and if you know me, you know it'll be humorous and touching all at once. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy and thanks so much for reading!**_

Walking into the BFD headquarters downtown, Killian was unable to pretend that he was comfortable. All of the laid back feelings that he'd anticipated enjoying on his day off had evaporated shortly after Emma left that morning when he'd received a call that he was needed by one of his superiors, and not just any superior, but Emma's father.

" _Did he say what it's regarding?"_ Killian had asked the woman on the phone who scheduled the appointment.

" _He said you'll know."_

That had been pretty much all the clarification that Killian needed, and hours later as he climbed up the stairs to the second floor where the chief's office was located, Killian found himself stuck in his own head and trying (but failing) to draw up a game plan. Whatever was about to happen would probably be uncomfortable, but he'd made a promise to himself and to Emma to let her lead the charge with telling her parents about their attachment, and he intended to see that promise through no matter what pressures may come.

"You're new," an older woman from behind a desk near David's office said suddenly, bringing Killian back to the present. She wasn't the same woman who'd called earlier, so Killian felt the need to introduce himself.

"Uh hi, yes, I'm here to see Chief Nolan. I'm -,"

"Sergeant Killian Jones," the woman filled in with a gleam in her eyes. "We've heard all about you, Sergeant. The Chief will see you in just a few minutes. Can I get you anything while you wait?"

"That won't be necessary," Chief Nolan said from his doorway across the hall before Killian could get a word in edgewise. "I'll see him now."

Killian took that as a sign to bid the kind woman at the desk goodbye, and he couldn't help but notice the smile the chief's assistant was sporting. He could only imagine what was going through her mind, and if any of the gossip here about Killian and Emma was even a fraction of what it was at his station house, then everyone would be well versed in the public perception of the two of them as a couple. He doubted that Chief Nolan appreciated that, but Killian didn't let himself dwell on what-ifs, instead following the older man's instructions and taking a seat in front of his desk.

"So what can I help you with today, sir?" Killian asked after a few moments of silence had passed between the two of them. The nudge seemed to get Emma's father going and he made a gesture to the stacks of papers on his desk before him.

"You've been in the city a few months now Jones, on the force since the day you got here, and to be frank you've been a real asset. I've got a list of comments here from your commander and your crew, and it's all glowing. Not a bad review in the bunch."

"You seem disappointed," Killian said, almost regretting the bit of snark but not quite getting there when he noticed the slight amusement in his boss' eyes.

"In a way I am. I keep looking for a fault in you – it would make this next part a lot easier if I had one."

Killian held back a grin at the man's words. He might not realize it, but Emma's father had just given Killian a tremendous compliment and had bolstered Killian's own resolution to weather the storm this meeting would likely bring. He knew what was coming, the two of them both did, but now Killian had faith that it wouldn't be as terrible as he once assumed, all awkwardness aside. Underneath it all there was a level of respect here, and as long as they had that, Killian had faith things would turn out in the end.

"Whatever it is, sir, I can handle it," Killian stated bluntly, and he swore he saw the ghost of a smile on the chief's face.

"Are you or are you not dating my daughter?" And there it was. At least the man wasn't going to beat around the bush all afternoon.

"That's a rather difficult question. I suppose it depends who you ask." Even as he said the words, Killian knew it was bullshit. This was evasion and not a very good attempt at it at that, but he really hadn't any other options for deflection at the moment.

"I'm asking _you_ , Killian, man to man," David countered, not deterred in the slightest.

"I realize that sir, but with all due respect, I think the person you should be looking for answers from is Emma. She's the one at the helm of the ship, so to speak. She has all the power here."

"So there _is_ something going on?" Chief Nolan pushed and Killian bit back his desire to just admit that there was. Instead he held strong, keeping quiet and offering a vague shrug. "You know I can sit here all day, son. I might have a few more stripes on my uniform than you do, but don't let the ranking fool you: there's nothing more important than Emma to me, and I can be patient when I have to be."

"With all due respect Chief, I doubt my answers are going to shift to a level you're hoping for even if you do try to wait me out. I won't say one way or another where I stand with Emma. That's her business to share with you, not mine, and I would never dare to speak for her when she can do so herself with great effect."

For a moment the two men stared each other down, and though Killian could feel the intensity of the older man's gaze, it wasn't hardened and angry as he imagined it might be. There was the gruffness of a protective father, sure, but there wasn't hostility, and underneath the bluster and the show, Killian had the niggling feeling that even if he was worried about Emma, Chief Nolan wasn't dead set against Killian himself. He just did not like being kept in the dark.

"Alright look," the chief said finally, sitting back and folding his hands together on the desk he sat at. "Even if it bothers me to admit, I can respect the fact that you're honoring my daughter's wishes. I don't like it, but I respect it. But answer me this – is this just some minor infatuation on your part, Jones? Because if it is, so help me god I'll-"

"No," Killian immediately interrupted despite it's being impolite, firm in the fact that this was not trivial in any way even if he was rudely interrupting a superior. "Nothing about how I feel is the least bit fleeting when it comes to Emma."

"So you love her?" David asked in clarification.

"Yes," Killian confessed, without any kind of hesitation. "Yes, I do. I know it's an unusual situation, sir, but Emma… she's it for me. I don't need to tell you that she's special or that there's no one else like her in the world, but whatever we end up being or not being, my love for her will still remain."

"Does she know that?" David asked after a few moments and Killian shook his head.

"Not in the most explicit terms, but as I said before, it's all rather complicated isn't it?" Killian asked and David sighed.

"You got that right. My wife really did a number with this set up, though I guess it worked out in her favor since you two got together in the end."

"I never said -," Killian was going to try and clarify, but David waved the explanation away.

"No you didn't. You've been very loyal to Emma and kept quiet when you should, but I can do the math. Now it's just a matter of waiting for Emma to tell me herself."

At that moment the door to Chief Nolan's office opened, surprising both Killian and David since there had been no warning that such an intrusion would come, but it was the two people on the other side of the interruption that were even more startling to see. Emma and her mother were there, with Emma looking just as surprised as Killian felt while her mother looked on from behind with a gigantic smile on her face. _Oh joy._

"Killian?" Emma asked, still not quite processing that he was really there. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, chatting with your father, as it were," Killian stated standing up upon her entry into the room.

That classification of this conversation was putting it nicely, given the multiple instances where Killian had been put on the spot, but he didn't want to give Emma any reason to worry. She'd been stressed enough about the prospect of telling her parents for weeks, and Killian was man enough to take a little questioning. Honestly it was just what he'd expected given his history with Emma's father up to now.

"You're interrogating him!" Emma said accusingly to her father when she read between the lines Killian had meant to keep concealed, and Killian watched as Chief Nolan went a little red with shame. Not that he had anything really to atone for. The protectiveness was understandable since the man had a daughter as wonderful as Emma.

"No, honey, he isn't. This is just what Dad's do with boyfriends. They make the whole 'hurt her and I'll hurt you' speech and then they grumpily meander towards acceptance for a few months."

Emma's mother said the words as if they were an undeniable fact, and though she was sincere in trying to calm Emma, Mary Margaret had unwittingly stepped into another problem by pronouncing Emma and Killian's connection in front of her husband. It took a lot for Killian not to grimace mostly because he'd just worked so hard not to say anything and Emma's mother had been here all of thirty seconds and already spilled the beans.

"Boyfriend?!" The chief asked, totally disregarding the joke about his demeanor from his wife, and turned his attention back to Killian, his eyes wider and his face looking more stern than it had a second ago.

"Yeah Dad, Killian and I are together. I wanted to tell you sooner, but… but this is what I want and I hope you can respect that," Emma said, her hands crossed over her chest in a defensive pose.

It made Killian's heart skip a beat to watch Emma so fiercely advocating for this relationship they had, but he kept his features schooled, not wanting in any way to upset her father or disrespect the man who Killian knew would be a part of his life a good long time. Then Emma's eyes moved over to Killian and her hands fell away to her sides as she came took his hand in hers. It was an overt display to her father that she was choosing Killian, and when Emma smiled at him with hope in her eyes, Killian couldn't help but return the soft look.

"Oh come on David. Look how happy they are – even you have to admit it's all for the best. Besides, you were just telling me the other day what a good job Killian's doing, and how you -,"

"Okay that's enough," Emma's father practically yelled in the hopes of cutting off his wife, and though Killian didn't dare push, he had a feeling the words Emma's mother had been heading towards were complimentary in nature. "All I care about is if you're happy Emma. So if you tell me that you are… well then there's nothing I could say but that I'm happy for you."

Emma let go of Killian's hand at that moment and came around the desk to give her Dad a kiss on his cheek sweetly. It was a touching moment, and Killian knew that Emma had likely done this a million times before when she'd gotten her way from her father, but David Nolan still melted from the sign of his daughter's love all the same.

"I am happy, Dad. Really happy."

"Well okay then," David said before nodding at Killian and portraying with a single look both acceptance and a reminder that if Killian hurt his daughter in any way, he would be in for a world of pain.

"Oh this is just perfect isn't it?" Emma's mother said happily before inspiration struck. "And just think – now that it's all out in the open, you two can come together to family dinner tomorrow!"

"Great," Emma said uneasily, looking at Killian with an apologetic expression but he only shook his head and smiled, thanking her mother for the invitation and offering to bring something to ease her burden. That of course won him all sorts of accolades, but before they could deal with too much praise, Emma got them both out of her father's office as fast as she could.

"I am so sorry about that. I wish I could say that was unusual for them but…"

"But family always find a way to meddle don't they?" Killian asked, making Emma sigh with relief as she took his outstretched hand and walked back to his car with him.

"Mine definitely does. Yours hasn't been so bad though," Emma said making Killian laugh heartily.

"That's only because I told them it wasn't an option for them to hound us into meeting until your parents knew the truth. Now that the cat's out of the bag I see a few more family dinners in our future with Liam and Elsa too."

Emma smiled warmly at the thought, leaning against the door of Killian's car and pulling him close by the collar of his jacket so their lips were mere inches apart.

"I can think of worse ways to spend an evening," Emma confessed and Killian grinned, his hand coming up to cup her cheek.

"As can I, love. But I should warn you that tonight I have no intentions of sharing you with anyone else. I think I've had just about enough of the rest of the world for one day."

"Promises, promises," Emma murmured before pulling him down for a much needed kiss and then letting Killian take her back to his apartment where he made good on his oath to shut the world away and keep them together where they both so badly wanted to be.

…..

A few days after his meeting with Chief Nolan and the moment when Emma had come clean with her parents about their relationship, Killian found himself on the other side of the occasion suffering some familial-induced worry of his own.

It didn't stem from concealment in any way, for Liam and Elsa had both known about Killian's feelings for Emma almost from the start, but from the fact that tonight was the night that his worlds would be colliding. Elsa had been adamant that she simply could not wait to meet 'Killian's girl' any longer, and after procuring Emma's agreement, Killian had promised they'd see his brother and sister-in-law this evening. The only problem was that as much as Killian loved Liam and Elsa, he also knew their predisposition to be… somewhat intense.

As lawyers the two of them had finessed a fine line that flitted between interrogation and narration that could be a bit much for people who didn't know them well, seeing as it was often too much even for Killian himself. Yet Killian was hopeful that Emma could handle herself. He'd never met any one as strong or capable as her in his life, but at the same time he had a need to protect her from that. Yes, he would allow Liam to flex his protective elder brother muscles, but at the end of the day, Killian's surest loyalties tonight lay with Emma and making sure she was comfortable and happy.

"Hello, earth to Sergeant Jones," a voice said from the doorway, and Killian saw that it was Tink. Given the tone of her greeting, Killian had to believe she'd been standing there a while, but he had been so deep in his thoughts that he missed her appearance entirely.

"Sorry. Something I can help you with?" He asked and Tink shook her head.

"Nope. Just wanted to let you know that we're all leaving for training now. The forty-fifth has been called in as back up, so if anything happens they're on it and dispatch will float it there way."

"Aye. Well, I envy you all the chance to actually train. Some of us are resigned to a less enjoyable afternoon."

Killian motioned to the mountain of paperwork he had before him and though it wasn't the most pressing or difficult task, he definitely wasn't glad to have it. But alas, this was a side effect of rising through the ranks. The further up the ladder one went, the farther they typically moved from the action. And if ever there was an opposite to _real_ action it was paperwork.

"Cheer up Serg. You never know. It might not be such a bad day after all."

Killian agreed that Tink might be right before telling her goodbye and listening to the sounds of the team leaving. His tiny friend had a point after all, because even if he had this less than thrilling work to see to and a dinner that might play up his anxieties more than he was used to, at the end of the day he'd get to see Emma and that was always the greatest reward.

That guiding motivation to get through the day was what kept Killian going through the quieter hours of his afternoon as his housemates were all gone, but at one point surprise did come calling once again and it was signaled by a knock at his doorway. When Killian looked up he was shocked but delighted to see that his unanticipated visitor was the woman he'd been dreaming of all day.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Emma said easily as she walked into the room and Killian rose from his seat, immediately coming to greet her with a quick kiss that wasn't nearly enough but was perfect all the same.

"Not at all, love. You've actually caught me in the midst of an unusually slow day. I'm practically alone this afternoon and I could use the company."

An enigmatic smile curved at Emma's lips when Killian made the comment, and immediately he wanted to know why. Her eyes had lit up with the same look that always came when she had figured something out, and the playful brightness made her even more beautiful in Killian's eyes.

"So I heard. It may or may not be why I stopped by."

Emma's hand came up to run across his chest, her fingers tracing along the fabric just above his heart and Killian's body tensed in anticipation. So she had known about his crew being gone? That was an interesting development, and it led Killian to believe that this wasn't just a casual visit, but a mission with a more thought out plan.

"Do I even dare ask who your source could be?" Killian asked and Emma chuckled as she leaned in a little closer.

"Who said there's only one?" she quipped, and Killian felt himself pretending as if that was a nuisance when it was far from it.

"Bloody hell."

Before Killian could elongate his bit of playacting, however, Emma was pulling him in for a kiss that was far more seductive in nature and alluring in practice than their one in greeting moments before. In truth it was not at all 'appropriate' for a work-setting embrace, but hell if Killian cared. The only thing that mattered right now was Emma and the feel of her against him, arching closer for more contact that Killian so desperately wanted to give her.

"I've wanted to do this since the first time I came here," Emma whispered against his lips when they pulled apart a minute later and Killian felt his whole body coiling with need.

The memory of that first day when Emma had come to speak with him about the whole 'fake dating' arrangement sparked similar desires in Killian, and he could distinctly recall how badly he'd wanted to push for more then. If it hadn't been for that call in the middle of their meeting, Killian likely would have gone for it too, but in retrospect they'd needed the time and patience to get here, and Killian wouldn't change anything what had happened since his meeting Emma for it had all gotten him to this perfect state of affairs.

"Couldn't resist my charms even then, aye love?" Killian asked and Emma rolled her eyes even as her fingers clutched into his shirt, pulling him closer.

"Keep that up and I won't tell you what else I imagined either."

Killian's mouth went dry at Emma's flirtatious words, and though he was almost hypnotized by the silkiness of her tone and the sweet sound of innuendo as it fell past her lips, he pushed through so as to clarify.

"Have mercy on me, Emma. A man can only take so much."

The grin Emma gave him in response to that tiny display of repentance sealed it all for Killian, and he knew then that whatever Emma had imagined he was damn sure going to give her. Screw protocol or expectation and if there was fall out in the long term so be it. But nothing would ever outweigh the chance to make a fantasy real for this woman, and Killian had to believe that in making her happy he'd always be choosing the right path.

"Well for one thing, I wondered if that desk was as sturdy as it looked," Emma whispered, and no sooner had she said the words than Killian was edging her back to it, sweeping away the papers that were gathered there as she perched on the edge of the wooden structure. Her legs fell open in that moment and Killian stood between them, one hand resting on her thigh as the other brushed a strand of hair back that had fallen from her hair tie.

"As you can no doubt tell this is a finely made piece of furnishing, love, built to endure even the most trying of activities."

Emma licked her lips at his words and Killian growled out a sound of approval before stepping away from her. When he did so, Killian could see the surprise and a tiny bit of disappointment in Emma's eyes, but then she realized what he was doing, and when he'd locked the door to his office securely and returned to her once more, all of that heat and longing and trust was back again.

"Do you think it's ever been put to the test?" Emma asked as her hands roamed along Killian's body, leaving trails of pleasure in their wake and Killian shook his head.

"Not by me it hasn't. A great oversight I might add, and one I hope we can rectify right bloody now."

Emma murmured her shared desire for exactly that, and with her affirmations, Killian set out to ease the need that was clawing inside of both of them. With heated kisses that demanded more and elicited even more lust between them Killian and Emma both made quick work of the clothes that separated them.

It was a complicated dance, with somewhat staggered movements and a little more flexibility than they might otherwise have had in another situation, but every part of it made the fire between them burn all the brighter, and by the time Emma had been stripped of her jeans and that damn enticing shirt of hers had been unbuttoned, Killian was almost crazed with the need to ravish her. He dropped kisses then to her neck and lower, tasting on her skin that undeniable flavor of Emma that captivated him since the first time he sampled it.

"I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but I don't have a lot of time. Technically my break ends in… _shit_ I don't even know."

Killian chuckled at Emma's lack of details mostly because he was the one providing distractions that kept her from fully remembering. He was doing it by teasing the both of them through the last scrap of cotton that separated him from her waiting sex, but if Emma was saying that they didn't have time on their side, than this kind of foreplay would have to give over to something more rather quickly.

"Sounds like a compromise is in order, love," Killian said as he stripped the last bit of fabric away. "I'll resign myself to the time crunch now, if you do something for me in return."

"Anything," Emma agreed and Killian couldn't help but grin at her eager reply.

"Spend the night with me," he countered and Emma smiled before shaking her head.

"Well that was pretty much a given. You really want to waste your upper hand on that?"

"I'd hardly call that a waste. But just know that when I take you home, I'll fully intend on spending _all_ evening pleasuring us both as I see fit."

"Deal," Emma agreed as she went to unbutton Killian's pants and push them down lower, freeing him and readying them both for that joining they were craving.

In the moment when they did come together, Killian felt that same inexplicable feeling of immense bliss and almost homecoming. Nothing ever felt as perfect as being with Emma like this, and though their surroundings made totally uninhibited responses impossible, Killian still felt the pull of each gasp and sigh and moan that Emma let escape. The feel of her nails on his skin as he filled her over and over again were the best kind of slow torture imaginable, and the way she finally demanded that he kiss her as her climax peaked and she gave way to ecstasy made it so he had to let go to, falling into that amazing state of total euphoria and complete rightness.

"I think we might have a problem here, love. I could get used to spending breaks in such a way and making this a habit." Killian's words were met with a laugh from Emma and then a final kiss as she shimmied off the desk and began to right her appearance once more. It wasn't ideal that she had to go, but damn if she didn't look sexy as hell getting ready to do so.

"You should sign the house up for training more often," Emma replied as she buttoned up her shirt and retied her hair so not a single strand was out of place.

"Consider it done. So we're still on for this evening?" Killian asked, hoping the mention of the family dinner wouldn't break the spell, and thankfully it didn't, for Emma merely smiled and nodded once more.

"Oh we're on all right. I was promised embarrassing stories of you as a kid and I intend to get them."

"I'm sure my brother and Elsa will be only too delighted to provide."

"That's what I'm hoping for," Emma said as she moved to the door. With deft hands Killian unlocked it as Emma came to press one last kiss to his lips before heading down the hall and out of the firehouse once more.

And as she walked away, all Killian would think was how gone he was over this woman and how he wouldn't have it any other way.

…..

"So there we were, in the middle of the harbor with a vessel taking on water and do you know what my little brother decides to do?"

Emma smiled at Liam's prodding from where he sat across the table from her. This evening had been filled with similar questions, all construed inside of stories about Killian from when he was younger, and each one had been great. Emma was definitely taking special care to save these snippets to bring up later, but mostly they were all these interesting snap shots of how Killian had always been a man of honor and good humor.

"I'm assuming something heroic," Emma replied and Liam chuckled as Killian's thumb brushed against her thigh where his hand had taken up residence all evening. She shot him a glance and he looked resigned to the fact that the old story would see the light of day once more, but also completely content for her being there with him.

"You could say that, or you could say it was bloody foolish. He proceeds to find the leak and at first he gets the brilliant idea to use half his clothing as a plug since we have nothing else aboard with us. But it didn't work, and finally he decides use himself as a damned plug for the hole. Now keep in mind the waters damn near frigid and he's dealing with the brunt of it, pretending as if it's the most logical solution anyone's ever considered though he's soaked through and chilled to the bone."

"Well it worked, didn't it?" Emma asked, feeling the need to stick up for Killian even though the teasing from his brother was obviously coming from a place of love. "You both made it home okay."

"Aye we did. But Killian damn near caught pneumonia and after that we couldn't get anyone to lend us a skipper for a day again. People said we were cursed."

"The curse of the Brothers Jones," Elsa said with a voice that sounded well suited for a ghost tale. "I can see it."

Elsa's banter was met by laughter from Emma and Killian but some grumblings from her husband, and though Liam seemed to want to have Elsa recanting her statement, she moved too quickly for him to get the chance. Rising from her seat and offering Emma an out for a minute from the current dinner conversation. Emma was all too happy to accept, and so she went with Elsa to the kitchen to get dessert.

"I'm sorry about the never ending stories, Emma," Elsa said when they'd gotten out of earshot. "I love that man more than anything but he can really talk with the best of them."

"That's probably why he's such a good lawyer," Emma offered and Elsa grinned, clearly proud of her husband even as she offered up another joke.

" _Shh_ , don't let him hear you say that. He has a big enough head already, and I like to think that of the two of us I've got the stronger record."

Emma didn't argue with that at all because she knew Elsa did have a reputation for excellence. But where her husband often won his cases with more strong-armed bluster and appeals to logic and reason, Elsa was a different kind of showman. Emma hadn't had the chance to witness her in action many times, but if what she'd heard from other officers was true, Elsa was the one who swayed jurors with more ease and conviction both by finding unique ways to interpret the law and by appealing to more emotional sides of a story. In the end both husband and wife were great attorneys to say the least, but their deliveries were so totally different and yet equally successful.

"Thank you again for having me over. Tonight's been… well it's been really fun," Emma admitted with a smile as Elsa laughed.

"I can't even blame you for that little bit of hesitation. I can only imagine what Killian's told you and what you expected."

"All I knew was that you and Liam mean so much to Killian and that, like any family, you guys want what's best for him," Emma said and Elsa tilted her head as if sizing up Emma's answer.

"You know with spin like that you could have been a great lawyer." Emma laughed at Elsa's compliment. "But seriously, I know Killian and I know he was nervous about tonight. Not that I blame him. I guess you could say that we're very involved."

"Maybe," Emma acquiesced, "But I still think my parents could beat you two out easily. Now when it comes to your kids someday it might be a different story..."

Too late Emma realized that she'd gone a little heavier than she anticipated. Maybe she had read Elsa wrong in just assuming she wanted kids, but all evening and from other tidbits Emma had picked up from Killian she got a vibe like Elsa and Liam were destined for a family. There was so much talk about how Elsa and her sister Anna were so close and that they valued those family ties over everything, but maybe that didn't necessarily mean kids were in the picture for Elsa herself. Only when Elsa looked up at Emma with a shy smile did Emma feel any kind of relief.

"Someday is actually going to get here sooner rather than later," Elsa whispered and Emma grinned, feeling real happiness for Killian's sister-in-law.

"Really? You're pregnant?" Emma asked and Elsa nodded, her eyes casting to the doorway as if she thought Emma's saying the word aloud would summon an audience, but Emma had been careful in not proclaiming anything with too much volume since Killian most definitely did not know and honestly Emma didn't even know if Liam did.

"Yeah. I found out today and I told Liam right when we got home. We've been trying for a while and now it's really happening."

"That's wonderful Elsa, congratulations. I know we don't know each other well, but I do know that you and Liam will be wonderful parents. You guys clearly have more than enough love to go around."

Elsa's expression illuminated at that and her hand came to rest over her tummy, which was still flat and showing no signs of a little one on the way. She had a dreamy look in her eyes too that Emma recognized as one a lot of her friends who had already starting to have kids got, and for the first time in her life she felt a pang of emotion. It wasn't jealousy exactly but understanding that someday – even if it wasn't today – she would like the chance to have such special news of her own.

"Thank you, Emma. It means a lot. As you can imagine we're still trying to wrap our heads around it, and it's safe to say that all of the excessive talking on Liam's part is due in part to this. Honestly I had to fight him to keep it quiet at least through dinner. I didn't want it to take attention off of meeting you."

"That's sweet of you, Elsa, but I mean come on, you're having a baby! That totally trumps meeting the new girlfriend."

"Maybe I'm hoping you won't always just be a girlfriend," Elsa offered and Emma felt herself going red at the bold statement, but it meant a lot to her all the same, not just because she liked the thought of having Elsa's approval, but because she wanted the same thing.

"So how do you want to play this?" Emma asked, choosing not to lay her whole list of desires for a future with Killian at Elsa's feet in this given moment. Luckily for her Elsa was amiable to the shift in direction.

"How good are your acting skills?" Elsa asked and Emma laughed at the seriousness in her tone, prompting Elsa to join in. Honestly though Emma didn't mind the idea of playing along. If it meant so much to Liam she would be happy to feign surprise, and she definitely wouldn't have to fake the sincere gladness for Killian's family because she was genuinely thrilled for them.

"I can handle myself," Emma promised.

"Oh good. Well I told Liam he could say something when dessert came. Let's see how long he lasts."

It turned out that Liam managed to make it all of about a minute after the cake was brought out and the coffee served, and it wasn't long after Emma had taken her seat once more and placed her hand back in Killian's that Liam made the announcement. Then it was Emma's moment of truth where she had to be congratulatory and excited and it was totally easy, especially because Killian's own level of happiness was contagious. He was so completely elated at the thought of being an uncle and Emma was just so happy seeing him in such high spirits.

"Well it took you two long enough didn't it? I've been waiting forever for you to give me a niece or nephew to spoil rotten. Seems I finally got my wish."

At this point Killian had risen from his seat and moved around the table to hug Elsa and then embrace his brother, and though Elsa was wiping away happy tears, it was Liam's reaction that touched Emma most. His usually boisterous tone was milder, and his words of wisdom to his younger brother were ones Emma felt so keenly.

"The best things take time, brother, as I'm sure you'll come to find."

Both Liam and Killian looked at Emma then and it was hard not to feel on display in that moment but then the attention all returned to Elsa and there were toasts in honor of the little boy or girl on the way and to Elsa's health and Liam's treating his pregnant wife with all the care and attention she deserved. And for the rest of the evening, Emma felt that vicarious sense of glee and the bubbling hope that always came when new chapters like this started for good, deserving people like Elsa and Liam.

Eventually, of course, the evening drew to a close, and as she said goodbye Emma vowed to both Elsa and Liam that she would come around more with Killian. Liam even went so far as to label her a 'catch' and then there had come a romantic moment when Killian agreed and Emma felt that praise right down into her soul. Even in the midst of everything else, this man still managed to make her feel like she was the most important part of everything, and it was such an intoxicating feeling Emma never wanted to lose.

"You knew already," Killian said when they were once more outside of Liam and Elsa's home and headed back to Emma's apartment.

"Knew what?" Emma asked, not totally sure of what Killian was getting at since she'd been so distracted by the celebrations and subsequent goodbyes.

"You knew about the baby already when Liam broke the news."

He had her there because of course she did know, but Emma was still surprised at the certainty in his voice. Killian was so sure of her prior knowledge and yet Emma had thought herself quite the actress. Clearly she couldn't get anything by him, not that she ever had much cause to try.

"I only knew for like two minutes longer than you. I accidentally stumbled upon the truth when I was in the kitchen with Elsa," Emma offered in explanation. "Do you think Liam knew?"

"No, love. You're reaction was perfect. It's only I who can read you like a book."

Emma smiled at the statement that had no trace of doubt behind it. It wasn't the first time that Killian had said that, but every time she still found it funny. For so long Emma believed herself to be inscrutable and unreadable to almost everyone, but what could she say? So far he was right, and there hadn't come a moment when Killian hadn't been able to see through the surface to whatever was really going on in her heart.

"You know you say that, but I bet if we played poker you'd be singing another tune. Anyone will tell you I never lose."

"That sounds like an interesting prospect for us to explore another time, but my hopes for the evening lie in an entirely different direction as you well know." 

Emma shivered at the statement that Killian made with his mouth just at her ear. The whisper felt like honey, washing against her skin with smooth, easy perfection and Emma's own desire to get home and to get to those promised activities grew all the higher. But for now it was a game of building anticipation and finding the strength for a little more patience before they could spend the night in whatever way Killian desired.

"I remember an agreement being struck yes," Emma replied and the response she got (which involved Killian moving faster to the car and then racing back to her place as quickly as was safe) was exactly what she wanted. It was also a bit of irrefutable proof that Emma had just as much sway and influence over Killian as he did with her.

Finally, after the somewhat frenzied drive, and the building tensions between the two of them with a little bit of teasing on both of their ends, they made it back to Emma's place and she could feel a weight lifting off her shoulders. They were nearly there, where they both so badly wanted to be, and that was a glorious feeling indeed. But just as they were about to walk inside, Emma hesitated, feeling like she had to get something off her chest before this went any further. It was a risk to do so, and for Emma there were years of experience telling her this might not go the way she wanted it to, but Killian always seemed to have this way of making Emma believe that more was possible. So instead of caving to worries, she chose to trust her instincts and speak a simple truth that had gone unsaid for too long.

"I love you."

There was no telling what reaction Emma really expected because this had been a rather spur of the moment decision to take a leap, but whatever dreams she might have had didn't live up to the reality. Because at the moment of impact, when her words were heard and understood by Killian, he gave her this look like she held the key to all the joy in the world. It was amazing just how powerful he made her feel, and that only escalated further when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her senseless.

Even without Killian's spoken professions, Emma didn't feel a shred of regret for her admission. This kiss was the embodiment of everything he felt, and Emma could practically taste that the feeling was mutual, and that their bond wasn't all one sided. The sweet intimacy mixed with that same vibrant passion that always passed between them was on full display, and though it was hard to pull away from Killian's lips, it was made worth it by his lovely words.

"I knew from the very first moment that I would love you, Emma, and I do. I love you as I've never loved anyone before. Everything is you, love. Everything."

"I know," Emma said, her forehead resting against his as she closed her eyes. "It's the same for me."

The words prompted another kiss, and then a few more, but even if it quieted the need a little bit, it didn't dull the ache for more that both of them were harboring. And so, without any more waiting, Emma took Killian's hand in hers and led him back up to her apartment, knowing that tonight they'd turned a corner and set themselves up for so much more of this dazzling adventure still to come.

 _ **Post-Note: So first off I want to thank all of you guys for the continued support! You have all been so great and I really appreciate all the lovely comments and kind words you guys send my way. The next chapter will be jumping a little bit into the future and will be told mostly from Emma's POV to make up for all this Killian this time, but don't worry, there's a very fluffy pay off for that time hop. Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed, and as always I thank you for reading and hope you have an absolutely lovely rest of your day!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Hey everyone! So I am back with another chapter of False Alarms and this one brings the proposal and a tie back to the first chapter of this story. I know it's been a long time since I updated, but I hope you'll all forgive me when you see the fluff this chapter is bringing. We're jumping a bit ahead into the future to make a proposal happen, but I can promise you all my usual cuteness (which is just what I need after the feels of the finale). Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!**_

A few months after revealing their relationship to Emma's parents and cementing to the world and to each other than this thing between them was real, Killian and Emma found themselves as happily situated as two people in love could be.

Throughout the time they'd been together every day brought something new and wonderful, and even the worst days, like the ones with a particularly bad run at the fire house or where Emma was working a tiresome or strenuous case, were ones that Killian was grateful for. All of this time they had together was a gift, and though time wasn't always on their side, there did come moments when everything aligned in just the right way to give the two of them a chance at a slightly more normal feeling relationship.

One such opportunity came this particular weekend when despite their usually fluctuating schedules both Emma and Killian managed to get a consecutive three days off with no interruptions and no other plans. It was a true rarity to be sure, but one that both Killian and Emma planned to soak in fully, and though the early autumn weather had brought rain last night to start their small reprieve from the rest of the world, today was brighter. This morning had brought that quintessential crisp fall air with just a touch of chill to it that could only be fought off by a warm sweater and time spent in the sun, and in the light of a new day the leaves were even more colorful than they had been before, as if one single night had transformed the world from a summer green oasis to a harvest colored utopia.

It was a happy transformation for Killian though, because as much as he'd loved spending the springtime and the summer months with Emma in the commons or past the city limits at the beach down by the shore, this opened up a whole new range of adventures for them, including the one they'd faced this morning when Emma proposed that they leave the city for a few hours and head to a farm out west. Unable to ever deny her anything, Killian had readily agreed and then he'd taken a great deal of joy in sharing another tradition with the woman he loved, one where the two of them (and hundreds of other strangers from all walks of life) ambled through apple orchards seeking the best fruit and then stood in lines to find pumpkins and pies and something called a cider donut that Killian had laughed at originally but then found to easily be the best part of the whole expedition.

"So what's the damage, Sergeant?" Emma asked when they pulled up in front of her apartment after the long drive back from the outer limits of the suburbs.

"The damage?" Killian asked, not fully understanding but still smiling at Emma's question all the same. It was impossible not to, after all, when her eyes were bright with that little bit of mischief shrouded with love and comfort that was so bloody tantalizing.

"How many donuts did we finish on the drive home?" she clarified and Killian found himself scratching behind his ear in a sign of slight embarrassment.

"Half a dozen," he mumbled and Emma laughed aloud, letting that perfect sound fill the space between them and wash over Killian in the most wonderful of ways.

"See? _This_ is why I told you we needed those extra bags."

She had told him as much when they'd been there before and Killian was shocked at her thought that they should buy three dozen of these tiny treats. Emma, however, had known what she was in for, and between having to send a bag to her parents and to Ruby and Graham, Emma reasoned that four bags if frozen would last them the rest of the month until someone else no doubt made the journey to the farm. Killian thought this completely excessive, but now that they were already a bag down he understood the error of his ways.

"I should have known you'd be right, love. You always are."

Emma smiled at the praise as she hopped out of the car and moved to grab all the things they'd purchased today from the back. It was a lot to maneuver, too much for any one person to carry, and so Killian stepped in insisting that she give him most of all of the burden while she got them into her place. As a reply Emma kissed him lightly in the most natural of gestures, but it still filled Killian with that sense of rightness like nothing else ever did. It also made the climb up to her apartment with all of this stuff feel like nothing at all.

"So now that we've gathered all these supplies you said you needed, what, might I ask, is next on the agenda?" Killian inquired as he dropped everything they'd procured in Emma's kitchen.

"Well we could bake something. After all half the fun of apple picking is all the stuff you get to make later..." Emma said casually, but Killian could hear that there was something else she was thinking of. There was very clearly an idea brimming behind those jade colored eyes of hers, one Killian instinctively knew he wanted to hear.

"Why do I feel like you had something else in mind, love?" he prodded, coming around the counter and putting his hands on Emma's hips, drawing her closer and waiting for her gaze to meet his.

"Because you know me better than anyone," Emma whispered before licking her lips and Killian couldn't hold back the growl that came from his chest. Suddenly it dawned on him exactly what Emma was getting at, and he couldn't help but think back to some of the moments they'd had in the orchard.

Killian wasn't blind, he'd seen the looks his Emma was sending him throughout the day as he carried the ladder for climbing over his shoulder or he reached the top of one of the trees to throw her down some of the fruit she thought was best. There had been appreciation there and a barely concealed sense of yearning, but with all the people around them and with the very limited places to sneak off to, Killian hadn't had any sort of chance to push those moments. God how he'd wanted to though, almost as much as he'd wanted to linger in the instances that were somehow more intimate. Like the ones where Emma interacted with passing kids all visiting with their families, showing a natural aptitude with children that sparked all kinds of imaginings in Killian's head of the two of them continuing this tradition, not just together but with a little brood of kids who belonged to them as well.

Even now, as his hands trailed up her body and toyed with the edges of the sweater she was wearing, Killian's mind was full of thoughts along those lines, thoughts where this love had grown to something more, something that Killian wanted so badly and felt just at the edge of his grasp. But before they could get to that part of their story with the white picket fence and the family of his dreams, there were chapters that needed writing first, starting with one that Killian had been trying to broach for sometime – asking Emma to marry him.

The truth of the matter was that Killian had been planning to propose for some time, and after weeks of trying to figure out how to make it right for the woman he loved, he'd stumbled on an idea that he wanted to enact at the start of their weekend. He'd had the whole thing planned too and he'd gotten everything ready in the hours before Emma was free from the station hoping that by the time she was home it would all be exactly as he envisioned it. Yet the universe hadn't been exactly on his side last night. Instead there had been nothing but gray clouds and rain, and since the idea he had stumbled upon weeks ago required that they be out of doors it simply wouldn't work. So he made the best of a bad situation, covering all of the facets of his proposal that he could from the elements and hoping that it would weather the storm as best as could be.

In the meantime though, Killian had reveled in every moment he got to be with Emma, and though his mind had wandered dozens of times back to thoughts of getting down on one knee and pouring out his heart to her, he'd steadied himself and garnered some control. It was hard work, especially as the day had progressed and more than a few instances arose when Emma was almost too temptingly perfect for his peace of mind, but patience would have to win out, at least until he had reassurance that his plan could still work.

That reassurance was hopefully coming though, and all day Killian had been waiting for Liam and Elsa, the only two people who he had trusted with his exact plan, to let him know the status of what he'd made yesterday. They unfortunately didn't have the same cleared out weekend that he and Emma did, and wouldn't be able to get there until later this afternoon, but that hadn't stopped Killian from checking his phone every twenty minutes and hoping somehow they'd gotten out early to give him the all clear.

"Killian?" Emma asked then, bringing him back to the present and Killian shook away his thoughts and plans, focusing all on Emma again, and immediately the bubbling nerves and worries about whether things would actually go right at some point ebbed away. For in the company of Emma, negative thoughts like that couldn't possibly survive, and he was helpless to the turn of tides within him that went back in a swift and coursing way to wanting all that she'd been hinting at only seconds before.

"It's your choice, Emma. Either I take you back to bed or I seduce you right here. Your wish is my command."

Killian hadn't meant all of that gravel and tension to infiltrate his voice, but it was impossible to keep it at bay when he felt as much as he did. Not that Emma seemed to mind. In fact she responded with an instinctual affirmation, her body coming flush against his as it sought out more contact, contact Killian was all too happy to give.

"I think we've waited long enough, don't you?" She asked and Killian immediately sprung into action, leading her back to the kitchen table, and thanking his lucky stars that all their provisions were on the counter tops leaving this place deliciously cleared just for them.

"You have no idea, love," Killian responded as his mouth moved from hers down her jaw and to her neck.

The idea of finding bliss with Emma now and getting to feel that all consuming rightness of being with her without delay was too attractive a prospect to pass up, especially when Killian was already waiting to pop the question. This was also the perfect way to channel all of that excess of emotion, and though Killian couldn't present Emma with the words he'd been unofficially drafting in his mind for months, he could make her feel his love right now. He would just use his roaming hands that pulled away at her sweater and jeans with deft precision and kisses designed that mapped out every pleasure point she had exposed to him instead of the prose a proposal would merit. Either way though, Killian wouldn't rest until Emma was totally reassured that there was no other woman in the world for him.

"If I'd known you'd be this eager, I would have had us head back sooner," Emma said at one point, her voice breathy with the sounds of her increasing anticipation and desire. But her words made Killian chuckle, eliciting a tremble from Emma as he pulled back to look into her eyes once more.

"Whenever you're in doubt from here on out, you can rest assured that I always want you, love. There's never a moment when I'm not in need of you."

Killian punctuated his confession by unclasping Emma's bra and tossing it aside, and though he was momentarily distracted by her naked beauty so openly on display here in the kitchen, his hands never left her, tracing out patterns that were driving her crazy as he tortured himself with just a bit more slowness than either of them really wanted. His stalling also left him open to some of Emma's perusals too, including her unbuttoning the flannel he'd worn today (under her peculiar but adamant suggestion) and then pushing it off his shoulders, before going to the button his jeans with equally agile fingers.

"For someone who wasn't so interested in waiting you sure seem to be doing a lot of it now," Emma teased, her hands running down his body in a simultaneously possessive and desirous manner, and Killian groaned, grabbing her hands and trying to take control back as he did.

"Sometimes a wait is what's needed, love. Sometimes that little bit of time can make a moment perfect."

With those words Killian's attentions shifted towards Emma's breasts with his hand and his mouth, and as she was moaning at the contact, starting to give over and demand more, Killian heeded the request, edging the other hand down to the seam of the last scrap of cloth between them, inching past it to her waiting sex. From the first touch he could feel that she was ready for him, worked up as she was, and it would be so easy to take her over the edge right now. The only question was should he draw this out or give over to what came natural without any kind of hesitation?

"And sometimes all you need to get to perfect is the right person. The rest is just details," Emma said, daring him with a flirtatious and yet somehow brazenly needy look that broke his resistance down. There was just no way to say no to her, not when Emma was allowing herself to be vulnerable and honest when that was always what Killian had wanted.

As if he was under some kind of spell, Killian immediately shifted his tactics, stripping off that last bit of clothing between them before pulling Emma closer to the edge of the table to just the right spot to fill her with one thrust. It was hot and fast and hard, and the impact of that moment that they came together pulled a lot from both of them, causing Emma to cling on to Killian as dove in further, setting a pace and arching her position so he'd hit that spot inside of her that made her see stars every time.

He knew he had her too, for there came a moment when awareness gave over to their heat of the moment and the sounds tumbling past her lips weren't coherent but so totally captured his own feelings. This was something beyond words and rationale, it was light and love in its purest for, and when Emma brought her own hand down and brushed her thumb across her clit at just the right time, clamping down on him with a tightness so sublime, Killian was powerless not to follow in that earth shattering release. His legs felt weak, his breathing ragged, but at the same time he'd never felt more alive or more undeniably at peace, and he owed that amazingly vibrant and invigorating feeling entirely to Emma.

"I keep waiting for the day when this isn't _so_ good… but it always is. How I that possible?" Emma said between filling her lungs with more air and Killian grumbled before stealing another kiss from her lips and then brushing her hair away from her face to get a better look at her.

"If you just thought that was merely _good_ then I'm not doing this right, love."

Killian's comment pulled more laughter from Emma, and that laughter turned lighter until it was more an innocent giggle than anything else. It was the sweetest sound too, one Killian had heard a few times since meeting Emma but that he'd never grow tired of. They were rare and often fleeting, but every one of them was a precious reminder that somehow with him Emma felt safe enough to just be as she was and to let her walls down enough to truly trust him.

"Okay fine it was phenomenal, okay? You're amazing, incredible, a God amongst men."

Killian wouldn't lie and say that wasn't good to hear. Actually good wasn't even the beginning of it, and he wasn't too proud to admit that his ego appreciated the boost. But even if Emma did feel that way, for Killian there were things that were more important, things he wanted to be sure Emma saw and knew before any next steps came into play, and there was no time like the present to make sure they were on the same page.

"The only thing I want to be is the man that makes you happy, Emma. That will always be my surest want in life."

Her eyes filled with a rush of something that looked an awful lot like hope at his confession, and then after a second or two her beautiful smile appeared again, this time shyer than the ones she sometimes gave, but no less real and no less miraculous.

"You do make me happy," Emma admitted, intertwining their fingers as she took his hand in hers. " _Really_ happy. Honestly it still surprises me sometimes just how much."

"I'm more than glad to hear you say that, love, because I feel the same," Killian whispered meaning every word.

And as he said them, a sense of understanding washed over him and suddenly he knew that Emma was right before when she said that as long as you had the right person the rest was just details. Like with his proposal – maybe he didn't need that grand display that he'd been concocting all this while. Perhaps this was the sign he needed to forgo all that and just come to Emma as he was, a humble man who loved her and who would never stop loving her as long as he lived.

His musings on such a course of action remained too as he and Emma got cleaned up again and just as Killian was really starting to think of some new potential ways to do this, running through scenarios and how to get to the ring he'd chosen for her that was still back at his place, a text sounded to his phone, bringing him back to the present and causing his heart to lurch. It was from Liam, and the words his brother sent were a profound relief for Killian's bubbling anxieties.

 _L: It's a bloody miracle, but everything somehow held up through the night. Elsa actually thinks it looks better than yesterday. She says your girl will love it._

With that assurance from Liam Killian found himself smiling widely and giving over to those flutters of happy possibility once again. At last he felt like the time was finally right, and since they were beginning to edge on sunset, Killian believed this would be the perfect moment if he could just get Emma there in time. Now the only question was how to do that quickly without drawing too many of her suspicions or any kind of detectively interrogation.

"Do you trust me, Emma?" Killian asked suddenly and Emma looked at him curiously with one brow rising up in question as she did. Yet even if she was wondering what he could be on about, she didn't hesitate to answer in any way.

"Yes."

That one word was enough to have Killian's heart racing and he didn't even dare to dream that he'd hear it again when all was said and done and he'd asked this most important question. He knew in his heart that Emma loved him as he loved her, but until he had her agreement and her word to marry him, he'd reserve in any kind of celebration. Only when he was certain could he cave to these good feelings and not a moment before then.

"There's something I want to show you, something I've been trying to get around to all weekend…"

"Then show me," Emma replied easily with a smile and Killian grinned in reply, taking her hand in his and pressing a kiss to the top of it gently before filling her in.

"It's not here, love. It requires a change of venue. We'll need to go back to my place."

" _Hmm_ ," Emma hummed out in a sultry way that sent a thrill coursing through him. "Well you know how I feel about your place."

He did indeed, and her heated words caused flashes of intoxicating memories to rush to the surface of his mind. Memories of the two of them wrapped up in each other and also quieter ones where they'd just had the chance to really do this thing. There were intimate dinners and movie nights, barbeques that they'd hosted with friends (which was interesting given their city surroundings), and morning meals shared together in a way that had made Killian even more desirous for them to share one home together and merge their lives into one cohesive unit that would give them so much more precious time together.

"Whatever it is I think I'm going to like it," Emma said, cutting through the fog of Killian's thoughts and causing him to return to the moment once more.

"Oh really? How can you be so sure, Detective?" he asked.

"Because you have that look," Emma replied, running her hands along his chest. "The one that says whatever's coming is going to be good."

"It will be," Killian vowed. "At least that's my dearest hope."

A beat past between them where the heaviness of what Killian had just professed hung in the air, but just as quickly as Killian was beginning to worry that he'd given too much away Emma stepped away, offering her hand and an open smile that told him he was wrong. For now at least his secret plan still remained, and finally the pieces were all falling into place.

The drive back to his place was a quick one to be sure, but it didn't stop his heart from racing with a pulse of unyielding desire. If anything it just amplified everything, giving Killian the sense that they were finally at the point that they needed to be. By the time they'd walked into his apartment he was already close to cloud nine, but there was one last thing he needed to make this proposal work – namely the ring that was still in his room.

"Give me just a second longer, love. Then we'll get to that surprise," Killian vowed and Emma tossed him a humorous smirk he had to try so hard to resist.

"Promises, promises."

With one final kiss Killian slipped into his bedroom and shut the door behind him. He then moved to the spot in his room where he'd hid the precious gem, snatching up the tiny black box that held the ring he'd been holding for Emma for what felt like forever and putting it in his pocket with a slightly shaky hand. He was just so ready and eager to gift it to her and part of Killian wanted to just blow it all right now so that he could know one way or another how she felt, but he knew he still needed just a few minutes more of secrecy. After all, he'd come this far; the least he could do was hold out for that perfect moment he'd been waiting for.

Returning back to the living room once more, Killian smiled when Emma looked actually surprised at his speedy return. Why she would be he didn't know, but it melted to an open an honest sense of peace when he moved forward and took her hand in his, ready to lead her to this next step. Then he glanced from her green eyes out the window to the still sunny day outside and he felt it deep in his bones that now was the moment and that he couldn't wait any longer to ask Emma to be his now and always.

But just as he was about to move forward and show Emma to the scene that he'd created for such a question, an alert blared from Emma's side, the one that told both Killian and Emma that there was some kind of trouble brewing. This sound was only for 911 calls from the station, and if it had sounded past Emma's 'Do Not Disturb' settings it must be something really big, something that would hardly allow for a proposal right now. Damn it! He was thwarted again.

"Oh crap," Emma cursed to herself before offering Killian an apologetic look. "Why do these always seem to come at the worst times?"

Killian offered a small smile before pushing back a strand of her golden hair and cupping her cheek. Emma leaned into the motion as he did, seeking out his touch, and that simple display of intimacy was enough to ease the little bit of heartache that was forming from this new upended attempt. For even if it felt like the world was mercilessly teasing him, in his heart Killian knew that the time _would_ come. It was just a matter of being patient when he so badly wanted instant gratification.

"Because that's the life of a hero, love. You can hardly know when someone needs rescuing, but answering the call is what makes you the woman you are, the woman I love."

Emma replied to that honest observation by surprising Killian and closing the space between them to gift him with a heated kiss. It was so much more than they could have in this moment, and yet it was just right, reaffirming everything for Killian that he needed before Emma pulled away making one last request.

"Will you show me whatever it is when I get back? I don't want to miss it," she confessed and Killian grinned.

"Aye love I will. You have my word on that."

"Good," she replied, squeezing his hand one last time before turning from him and heading out the door, offering one last look and a 'see you soon' before departing.

…..

Racing into the precinct after getting that 911 alert, Emma readied herself for a crisis of any kind. There were no specifics in her page from dispatch so her brain was tracking out any scenarios that might possibly come. In the past these alerts had been highly irregular, used only for things like active shooters in an area, the intentional maiming of a fellow officer, or a child abduction that needed the whole force working on it, and for Emma to get one in her off hours was a very bad sign. So it surprised Emma when she bolted through the front doors of the station and saw everyone going about their day as if nothing was amiss.

"Emma!" Belle said from behind the counter at her greeting station. "What brings you in this afternoon? I thought you had the day off." 

"I do…" Emma replied with a bit of confusion. "But I got a 911 page. You didn't send it?"

"Me?" Belle asked with genuine surprise. "No I didn't send anything. I don't know who could have done it. I mean I left for a second to run something up to Detective Rogers on the third floor but Ruby…"

Belle trailed off after the mention of Emma's partner and both women knew immediately that Ruby was behind the call. That was highly suspicious of course, but Emma hesitated before jumping to any conclusions. Maybe something was really wrong with Ruby or a case they were working on and her partner had been forced to use the alert that cut through the do not disturb setting on Emma's phone. But when Ruby appeared from out of her office Emma knew that wasn't the case. Her friend was too calm, and then when she saw Emma she immediately broke into a huge grin. Something was definitely up and then the unthinkable happened and another person emerged from Ruby's office confusing Emma even further.

" _Mom_? What are you doing here?" Emma asked of her mother and then she looked between Mary Margaret and Ruby searching for an answer from either of them. At this point she'd take the truth from wherever it came so she could handle this quickly and get back to that blissfully enjoyable afternoon she'd been sharing with Killian.

"Ruby and I hadn't heard from you all day, honey. We couldn't believe you wouldn't check in with us."

Emma's brow furrowed at the comment. Of course she was close with both her Mom and her best friend, but why would she have to check in with them? She didn't run everything in her life or every event in her day by these women. Some things Emma kept to herself and there was nothing about today so pressing that she would have had to race over with any kind of news. It was so strange to consider and it poked at a tingling of suspicion that more was going on beneath all of this than Emma knew about.

"I figured my comments on this year's apple harvest could wait until I got back next week. Was I wrong about that?" Emma joked, crossing her arms over her chest. She noticed Ruby and her mother's gaze shifting to her hand, which only perplexed her more. Then Emma heard Ruby mutter something under her breath that tied it all together.

"Where's the ring?"

"Ring?!" Emma asked, the alarm and high emotion evident in her tone of voice.

"Oh shoot!" Emma's mother cursed to herself. "I think we might have just fudged this whole thing up."

"You think?" Ruby asked, the two of them still not addressing Emma who was piecing together what all of this must mean.

If Ruby and her mother were so adamant that Emma should have checked in with them today and they were expecting a ring that must mean one thing: that they believed Killian was going to propose. The idea of such a question being popped by the man she loved was completely overwhelming, and Emma felt her body flooding with a surge of want and desire for that to happen, but no time had come when Killian did ask her and now she'd just run off from what had been an admittedly intimate and romantic moment to deal with her crazy Mom and partner.

"I'm so sorry, Emma. I guess we just got carried away. Killian came to speak to your father and I last week and he told us his plan. He even managed to appease your father's need to give a blessing while insisting that anything that happened would be a choice between the two of you, and when Killian said he wanted to do it this weekend I just assumed he'd do it first thing. That boy hardly likes waiting when it comes to you."

"Something must have happened…" Ruby concurred and then both Ruby and Emma's mother shared a moment of realization.

"The rain!"

The confirmation that Killian was definitely thinking engagement was the final straw for Emma, and she channeled that hope and love in her heart into action, saying the briefest goodbye before turning tail and sprinting out of the precinct. She hopped in her car and drove back to Killian's place as fast as was safe (though not strictly legal), feeling her body shaking with adrenaline the whole time until finally she was back inside his apartment having used the key he'd given her months ago to get in.

"Killian?" she called out into the space hoping he was here still, but no one responded.

Emma's heart clenched at the sound of silence that greeted her but she continued moving from room to room looking for him until something drew her notice. The window in the living room was strangely open right now, with the white curtains around it fluttering in the autumn breeze. There was a coolness throughout the apartment because of it and given the time of year it definitely wasn't customary to keep a window ajar. Emma knew Killian was a very mindful person and he never would have left it open under normal circumstances, so she moved towards it, observing when she did that out there on the fire escape there was something unusual: an adornment of flowers that weren't typically there all along the wrought iron structure.

The bolt of understanding that went through Emma in that moment was too strong to deny, and in a second she knew what was coming and she was overpowered by it. Killian had been the one to do this and Emma was so eager to see what else lay in store for her that she climbed out the window and onto the fire escape, bringing the whole arrangement into view.

Out here on the ledge, there were blossoms of every kind and every shade, from the crispest white daisies to roses so red they almost defied nature. There were blue bells and buttercups, peonies and dahlias, and even the occasional sunflower thrown into the mix. In short there was an explosion of color and the sweetest of scents imaginable out here on the once ordinary fire escape and it was all too much to adequately describe. But only when she was fully outside did Emma realize the symbolism of this. Using the fire escape was a hark back to their first meeting and Emma couldn't help but smile in the face of that thoughtfulness.

What a difference the time in between that moment and this one had made. Back then Emma was all work and no play. She'd been adamant that she had all that she needed, but she didn't even realize how small and closed off her world was. Then she'd met Killian and he'd brought so much into her once tiny bubble that she'd never trade for anything. He'd taught her what real love was like and what it meant to truly be there for someone in every way. He'd also taught her to hope as no one else ever had, and Emma was just so grateful that she'd found this wonderful man and that he wanted this kind of future with her. She tried to fend off the happy tears that were already forming at even the prospect of getting to say yes to a proposal from Killian, but it was a losing cause, because the feelings she was experiencing were just too powerful to be tamped down.

With quiet foot steps Emma moved across and up the surprisingly stable infrastructure, climbing from Killian's window to the roof where she was presumably to travel, and as she neared the top Emma heard the reassuring sounds of familiar music and then something else – the pacing back and forth of someone Emma just knew was her Killian. It was clear just from this that he was worried, but then she had the added bonus of hearing some of his mumbled words and she knew the whole truth.

" _Alright Jones. There's nothing to be nervous about. You love Emma and she loves you and this_ will _happen. She'll say yes, because she wants this too."_

"I do," Emma whispered to herself just before hopping up onto the roof. "I really, really do."

Unwilling to wait any longer to get to the moment when she could tell Killian that, Emma moved over the side of the rooftop and stepped into the space he'd created for this. She was shocked at everything she found. There were lights, more flowers, and every good thing up here and the once ordinary place was totally transformed into a space truly worthy of a proposal. The romance in this was undeniable, but it begged more questions too, like how could Killian possibly have pulled all of this together, and when did he find the time to even dream something like this up?

Emma didn't know the answers to those queries, but she did know that even with their interruption this would in fact be a perfect moment. Honestly it might even be better, because thanks to Emma's timing and the delay from Ruby and her mother, the sun was just starting to go down across the horizon, casting all that Killian had made in shades of orange and deep golds. In a word it was gorgeous and it was totally and completely like Killian to create something like this for her when all she'd ever need was him.

"Emma."

His voice calling her name alerted Emma to his presence across the way and the look of relief in his eyes joined by his clear joy at seeing her was too much to bear. Emma had no choice but to cross the rooftop to him and pull him in for a kiss that would only begin to tell him how much she loved him and all his thoughtful, beautiful, over the top ideas on how to treat her.

Luckily for Emma Killian was right there with her in giving over to the kiss, and even if they were out here in the open with other buildings all around, Emma never felt so perfectly wrapped up in a bubble of bliss as she did right now. Up here it was like the two of them were untouchable, flying high above the world and all its messiness below, and as they pulled apart Emma knew that Killian understood her fully. Whatever romantic gestures and words and promises he was about to put forth she was ready for, but she just had one thing to tell him first.

"I love you."

The warmth of Killian's gaze in the face of her words was a familiar one, but it was no less powerful now than it had been the first night Emma confessed her feelings. Somehow Killian still had this way of making her feel like she was the key to everything for him, and he conveyed so much with just a look. He was open with everything, giving and unguarded in a way that gave Emma no choice but to be the same, and damn if it wasn't the most wonderful feeling Emma had ever known.

"I'm very glad to hear that, Emma. But what's happened? You got the call and I assumed you'd be gone for hours…" Killian trailed off before finishing his thought as Emma reached up to brush her fingers against his jaw, tracing it gently but distracting him all the same.

"It was a false alarm," Emma said, her smile growing as she realized how strangely perfect that was even though she'd been incredibly frustrated only minutes ago. Even if this was a giant hiccup in Killian's original plan it was still somewhat fitting, and ever so poetic since they'd met in the midst of a similar situation. "But I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere."

"That's all I'm hoping for, love," Killian whispered as he took a slight step back to bend down on one knee, creating that amazing moment Emma was anticipating where he presented her with a ring and a heart stopping smile that Emma swore she would remember all the days of her life.

"Emma, I know it might sound crazy, but I've known almost since the first moment of our meeting that you were the one woman in the world for me. Out there on that fire escape all those many months ago I was just doing my job, trying to do the right thing, and keeping my head down as I did. But the second you stepped out of that window, my whole life changed. It was like I woke up to this whole new segment of what the world could truly be, and before I knew it I was wanting things I'd never thought to dream up before, and trying to find a way to make a girl like you who is so vastly out of my league give a man like me a chance."

Emma was tempted to correct him on that last bit and tell him that that was never the case. She'd always seen Killian as the catch in all this, and she still did to this day, but the words just wouldn't come out, not when her throat was tight with emotion and her eyes were filling with the happiest of tears that threatened to spill over at a moment's notice. Instead she just bit her lip and kept her thoughts to herself, silently willing him to go on and give her more of those beautiful words.

"I'll never be able to say all that I want to say Emma, and I doubt I'll ever be able to make you understand just how much you mean to me, but I swear to try each and every day. I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you and how there's nothing and no one in this world that matters more than you. You are it for me, Emma. My heart's belonged to you so long and it will never forsake you in any way. And even though it seems impossible, even though I wake up most days almost not believing it could be possibly true, I know you love me just the same, and _that_ is the single greatest gift anyone has ever granted me. Your love is all I could ever want in the world and so I have to ask… Emma Nolan, will you -?"

"Yes!" She said eagerly before he could even finish the statement, causing Killian to act on instinct and jump back to his feet, slipping that gorgeous princess cut diamond on her finger, before closing the space between them to give her a soul searing kiss.

The kiss was deep and intense and all consuming, and between that and her undeniable joy at getting this chance to love this man for the rest of her days, Emma had no ability to keep those happy tears from falling. She was just so overwhelmed and grateful all at once that one happenstance of fate, one measly false alarm, had brought her life so much and given her everything she needed to find the happiness she'd always been too scared to want.

"So you'll marry me?" Killian asked as he pulled back, brushing away her tears as his own eyes filled with so much love that it made the piercing blue all the more handsome and entrancing to Emma.

"Yes, Killian Jones, I will marry you," Emma promised, and with that final bit of acceptance and assurance, the two of them gave over to the love between them, reveling in this lovely state of bliss for the rest of the weekend.

And when they did eventually face the music and rejoin the real world some days later, it wasn't as hard as Emma would have thought to let go of this tiny sphere of privacy they had found together. In fact, it was a welcome change, because no matter what came and no matter what life may through their way, love would always be enough for the two of them, and it would always be the brightest part of their worlds forever more.

 _ **Post-Note: So there we have it. I thought this proposal very fitting for this AU over all given its call backs to false alarms and fire escapes (and I got to incorporate a rooftop romantic interlude after the CS wedding, which is funny because I had thought of doing this from when I first started writing this story). As for the rest of this fic, there are only a few chapters left to wrap up with a wedding and one of my typical happily ever after epilogues so I am thinking it should be completed sometime in the next few weeks. Anyway, I hope you all are doing well, and thank you so much for reading!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Hey everyone! So I know I promised that the next chapter would be bringing the wedding, but alas a little thing called the muse got in the way and what I thought would all be one chapter now has to be two. The wedding will be hopefully be posted in about two weeks (I know crappy to wait, but I will be on vacation next week so alas, no writing time). That being said, before we get to the good stuff, there's one last moment for our two heroes to get through. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**_

"I can't believe this day is really here," Ruby said as she and Emma hopped into their undercover car a few hours after they'd clocked in for work and finished up some weeks old paper work. "It's your last patrol, Detective Nolan. How does it feel?"

"What do you mean it's my last shift?" Emma scoffed as she put the car in drive and began navigating towards Tiny's where she and Ruby planned to spend their lunch break in the best way they knew how, with pizza, neighborhood gossip, and a seat by the window on this lovely, mild day. "I'm taking a month off, not absconding from the country and turning in my badge."

"I meant it's your last shift as Detective Nolan. Come next week it'll be Detective Emma _Jones_."

The reminder of that impending change hit Emma right in the heartstrings and she couldn't help the rush of warmth that manifested at the mention of her marrying Killian. To say that she was excited would not be doing this feeling justice. Emma was more than ready to be his Killian's and to call him her husband and honestly part of her wished they'd just run off together and eloped, but then the rational part of her knew that not only would she miss the chance for a wedding shared with her family, but her mother might actually kill Emma if she tried to pull a stunt like that.

"Do you think I'll have to take a new picture for my ID? They probably have the old one on file right?" Emma joked but trying to diffuse the situation and pretend she wasn't feeling as much as she was but Ruby saw right through that, sending her a smirk as she shook her head.

"I _think_ that man of yours is taking you to two weeks in paradise after the picture perfect wedding your Mom dreamed up. Mix all that happy and the no doubt killer tan you'll have and you should be so lucky that they let you retake it," Ruby said, making Emma laugh heartily. After all Ruby was right and there was no point in denying that if everything went to plan (and even if it didn't) Emma was going to be one happy person when she was finally wed to the man she loved.

"It is going to be pretty perfect, isn't it?" Emma mused aloud and her friend immediately agreed, proclaiming that if there was one thing the world could count on Emma's parents for it was protecting this city and going above and beyond for their only daughter's wedding to a man they approved of.

"Honestly the only way it could be more perfect is if Tiny was catering," Ruby acknowledged and Emma kind of had to agree. After all there was no better place for pizza in town and it was a regular staple in their lives for a very good reason.

"Speaking of, what's on the menu today? Let me guess, twinkies and a party pizza, or maybe donut holes and a calzone?"

"Actually, I'm kind of thinking salad," Ruby tossed back casually.

The immediate reaction to Ruby's words were to laugh hysterically because after years and years of friendship Emma had never once in her life known her partner to willingly choose vegetables when junk food was an option. It was honestly borderline hilarious to her and her hearty chuckle indicated that, but then Emma noticed that Ruby was actually serious and she was floored.

"I'm sorry, I must be losing it. You, Ruby Lucas, want what you have referred to numerous times as 'rabbit food' or worse? This has to be a prank. Where are the hidden cameras?"

"Jeez you make it sound so bad," Ruby said before shrugging and flipping her hair over her shoulder as she opened the door to Tiny's. "I'll have you know I can eat healthy. I've just, you know, chosen not to the past twenty some odd years."

Okay this was just too weird, and as she tried to find an answer for why this was happening, Emma took her partner in completely, studying Ruby maybe harsher than need be but feeling in her gut that there was something bigger at play here. Maybe Ruby was sick or something, or perhaps she'd finally gotten guilted into healthier eating by a doctor, but then a tell popped up when Ruby averted her gaze down for a second and her hand came over her stomach. Suddenly it dawned on Emma – _holy shit!_

"Oh my God you're pregnant!" Emma yelled, prompting Ruby to turn an unusual shade of red for her and causing her to shush Emma. "Oh my god I'm going to be an auntie!"

"Jesus, Emma do you have to tell the whole freaking world?" Well it wasn't a flat out denial, which meant it was totally true, and if the late lunch crowd inside of Tiny's knew now so be it. This news was too wonderful not to share.

"How long have you known?" Emma asked, not even remotely trying to hide her excitement and joy for both Ruby and Graham.

"Took the test last night," Ruby admitted and Emma couldn't resist it anymore, she had to bring her best friend in for a hug.

"Well way to bury the lead, girl. This is wonderful news. We're excited right?" Emma asked, leaning back and checking in with her friend who was smiling genuinely.

"Yeah, we're really excited and that's not the only good news…"

"Ruby Lucas if you tell me you are engaged right now I will lose it," Emma said, but when Ruby looked caught red handed at her words, Emma knew she was right. "How the hell did you hold out on me so long?! You know how much better paperwork would have been if you'd told me this earlier?"

"I know, I just… I didn't want to crash your moment."

"Crash my moment?" Emma asked, really not understanding and Ruby nodded, waving her hand as they walked up to the counter to place their order and then sat back down at their favorite table by the window.

"You know with the wedding and everything. This is your time, Emma, and I know how excited you are. I don't know I guess I just felt like I didn't want to take that attention off of you."

While Ruby was absolutely correct in saying that Emma was excited for the wedding, her logic fell off the rails with the idea that Emma couldn't be excited for more than one thing at a time. Marrying Killian was going to be magical, of that Emma was more than certain, but hearing that her best friend had found a similar happy ending didn't create any resentments, it merely bolstered Emma's already heavily present joy into something all the better. There was surely more than enough happiness to go around, and Emma wanted her partner to understand that.

"Ruby, I love you, but that's gotta be the crazy baby hormones talking. This wedding isn't about attention or spotlight. It's about marrying the guy I love, and nothing aside from that could make me happier than seeing you get the same chance to live the life you want too. "

"And this is why I love you, Ems. Best best friend ever." Ruby said sincerely with a laugh though Emma saw tears starting to collate in her eyes and she was shocked. Wow, she'd really hit the nail on the head with those off the charts hormones because Ruby never cried, not even out of joy.

"Okay enough of the sappy stuff. Let's get to what really matters, like when the heck were you going to tell me and when is this wedding taking place?"

Emma listened then as Ruby promised that she'd been intending to tell Emma sometime soon and then ran down the particulars that she and Graham had discussed. According to Ruby, the two of them weren't really interested in the whole big white affair (which Emma could understand given how much work went into that) and instead they were hoping to elope in about a month or so when Emma and Killian got back from their honeymoon and could be the witnesses along with Ruby's Granny.

"Ruby that sounds perfect," Emma agreed with a smile. "And I'm sure Killian will feel the exact same way. You know how close he and Graham have gotten."

"Oh I know," Ruby joked good-naturedly. "The bromance is in full force with those two, and with Will too when he can get his head out of his ass."

Emma was about to laugh at that not incorrect image when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She had this strange feeling of foreboding like she was missing something, and that only ever came when a situation was about to springboard. Why she'd be getting that while they were on break at the pizza shop Emma couldn't imagine but in a split second she knew why.

"All right everybody freeze! One wrong move and I will not hesitate to put you down!" A man in a black ski mask yelled from the front of the shop. He was holding a gun, and looked pretty close to using it as he waved it around at the very few patrons in the shop, coming to make direct eye contact with Emma and Ruby as he did.

The adrenaline spike Emma got in that moment was sharp and swift, but years as a cop had taught her how to channel that fear into results. She had to keep focused on the end game and figure this out. If it was just one guy and they were lucky enough that he'd taken a look at them in plain clothes and didn't know who they were they could manage this, but then Emma caught the sight of one of Tiny's cooks being forced over to the counter by another masked man in black that had come from the back of the shop.

"Of course things pops off on your last shift. Typical," Ruby muttered sarcastically but Emma didn't spare her friend a glance, not wanting to draw any more attention to them. Instead Emma made sure that the assailant wasn't looking her way before she pressed the emergency trigger on her belt. That would send an alert to the station that they'd walked into something bad and hopefully get someone the hell over here ASAP since it would be crazy for either Ruby or Emma to reach for their guns when there was a potential hostage situation unfolding.

"All right man, now open up and give us that cash. Put it all in the bag, and no fancy shit. You hit an alert button I start shooting, got it?" The man hounding the frazzled cook asked and the man gave a shaky nod, looking sheet white and ready to hurl all at once. Emma felt for him, but she really hoped this guy could handle this, at least for a few more minutes.

The best case at this point would be these guys finished the robbery and got the hell out of here. If shots were fired things would get bad, and there were ten of them who could be caught in the cross fire including two young kids who were currently cowering in the corner with their Mom and an elderly couple Emma recognized as two regulars named Marie and Charlie. Charlie was a war vet from back in the day Emma knew, and across the restaurant she shared a look with him and he nodded to her, conveying that he would stay put and be with his wife and not play the hero.

Unfortunately though, there were two other guys here Emma didn't recognize who'd been eating, and while she was hoping they would sit still and not draw attention like any sane person would, one of the guys hands tightened to a fist and Emma could tell he was poised to strike. Clearly he thought he could take this situation on and the reality was he couldn't, at least not safely. Emma tried her best to make eye contact with him and when she did she shook her head, telling him to cut it out but not knowing if he read her or not.

"Where's the rest of it?" the man in charge yelled and the cook shook his head as his hands quivered with the drawer now completely cleared out.

"This is it, man. The owner made the weekly deposit yesterday. There's nothing more to give."

"It's not enough!" the masked man yelled, before shoving the cook to the ground and checking out the drawer and the area behind the register for himself. "I thought your guy said this place packs twenty grand easy, J!"

Wow these guys were green if they were giving away information like this on top of hitting a spot without knowing the shop's schedule. Limited research was a sign of desperation, and the last thing Emma wanted to face was a desperate man with a gun, never mind two of them.

"They do man, but I don't know nothing about no bank deposit shit," the guy closest to Emma and Ruby countered, his free hand coming to his head in a nervous gesture. "How much we got?"

"Not even ten large."

"Fuck," The guy said, clearly shocked at this stroke of bad luck. "This is not good, Smitty said we need -,"

"I know what Smitty said! You think I don't know?!" The guy said waving his gun around and making Emma worry. She signaled to everyone else in there to stay low and tucked away, but even that would only do so much.

At the same time Emma and Ruby were left to have a silent conversation of their own, where they managed to get on the same page. Yes they were good shots, and in a contest of who could draw faster no one beat Emma on the whole force, but there were too many civilians here for them to make this a standoff. Without shooting each attacker straight out which would be against protocol, there was very little they could do to ensure the safety of everyone here so they needed to get a message out to patrol. Emma had registered the threat, but they needed details of what they'd be walking into. Pulling out for a text was too much, but Ruby, with the utmost care to be discrete slipped her phone from her pocket, dialing the station's emergency line directly and then letting the phone pick up on their surroundings.

"Well what the hell do we do man? Is there another spot we can hold up?" the following assailant asked.

"No there's not another spot, genius! This is it! We gotta get that money one way or another."

Through the glass Emma could see multiple under cover cars and cops at the ready, telling her that as long as she could get these guys out of here, the immediate threat could be handled. As long as they were in here though there were too many pitfalls and too many civilians in the line of fire to take the risk of striking back. This meant the only thing Emma could do was try and reason with them to get them the hell out.

"Look man," Emma said as she got up from her chair, immediately drawing both men's gazes and their aimed guns but focusing primarily on the weaker link in this job who happened to be closer to her. "The longer you two are here the greater your chance of getting caught. If you shoot someone or something, you're leaving a trace that could get back to you and the longer you stand here the greater the risk someone from outside will see something. So the smart move is to just take the money and get out of here."

"And how the hell would you know that?" The leading guy asked.

"I love _Law and Order_ ," Emma replied automatically pulling a snort from Ruby, which unfortunately the guys heard.

"You got something to say, lady?" the guy asked Ruby, waving his gun her way. "Or is it just the blonde who thinks she's so smart?"

"No I'm pretty much with her on this. That show doesn't lie," Ruby said, somehow managing to still bring some sass while appeasing the man's bruised ego. It was a fascinating tight rope Ruby walked, and Emma knew only her partner could pull that kind of move off, but just as Emma thought they had these guys got, one of the guys from behind the counter blew everything.

"Listen to them man, they're cops."

 _Oh fuck!_ Emma thought to herself, knowing that was the final trigger this guy would need. He was clearly unhinged whether from nerves or fear or something darker and knowing they were cops was the final straw, plunging him into a full blown rage and panic that was by definition the shit hitting the fan.

"Shit you're cops?!" the guy yelled, his gun raising towards Ruby again, and the next thing Emma knew instinct took over. She'd seen enough situations go south to know what was coming, and this guy was far enough over the limit of stress and crazy that he'd pull that trigger, taking out her best friend in the process.

Shoving Ruby out of the way and down to the ground was a split second decision, and she was already in motion when the bang of the shot sounded out. It cut through the parlor and pulled a scream from one of the kids, but that scream didn't last long, at least not for Emma because it was soon drowned out by two other gunshots and the sharp searing sting of Emma's being hit.

The space of time where the impact of the bullet gripped at her abdomen stole the breath from Emma's lungs and blurred the lines of time. She couldn't take in what else was happening and her thoughts were scrambled, caught between making sure Ruby was okay, making sure the perps didn't hurt anyone else, and thinking that oh shit, she might have just been really hurt. She was hit, she was hit and as she realized an image flashed into her mind of Killian and the real fear set in for just a second that her choice to be heroic would take her from him.

"Emma!" Ruby yelled, cutting through the barrage of sound and swirling chaos in Emma's mind, and then Ruby was looking at her, pulling at her jacket and then looking with relief that signaled to Emma even in her pain confused brain that it was okay. If Ruby had that face it had to be all right, it just really didn't feel that way at the moment.

"It got your vest, Ems. You're all right. Thank God you're all right."

Emma nodded remembering for the first time in all of that that she was outfitted for this worst-case situation. When she'd jumped into action she hadn't thought twice about the vest but now she was more thankful for it than she could even process. Her instincts told her to walk this off or try to push through this now that she knew it was the vest, but Ruby was having none of it, requiring that Emma stay down and telling her that the perps were down too and the situation was diffused. An ambulance was on the way, and they had to wait, because even if the vest had caught the worst part of that bullet, this pain was real and there was still potential damage.

"You got lucky, detective," the EMT said to Emma when she was finally sitting up in the back of the ambulance minutes later being treated on their way to the hospital. Her vest had been removed for evidence and the sight of her injury was now exposed with her pulled up to reveal the already rapidly bruising point of impact. "A few inches over and this would have been a hell of a lot worse."

"Don't let my fiancé hear you say that. He's probably going to have a heart attack as is," Emma said before turning to Ruby with actual fear returning. "Shit, did you use my name on the radio call? Does everyone know?"

"Oh they know," the EMT replied before Ruby could. "The Police Commissioner's daughter gets shot… that kind of thing doesn't fly under the radar."

"Oh God," Emma groaned, moving to put her arm over her eyes and wincing at the pull it had on her aching, pained muscles. God this injury was going to get old quick, and yet she had to deal with it and also deal with her freaked out parents and an understandably worried Killian. "Ruby you told him I'm okay, right? He has to know I'm okay."

"He knows," Ruby confirmed. "I called your Mom before we even left the scene. They're meeting us at Mass Gen."

"Good," Emma said, surprising herself with the sentiment. Two seconds ago she'd been frustrated that they would all be bothered by this when it wasn't a true emergency, but now she was relieved. All she wanted right now after that scary as shit moment was to see the people she loved, and them meeting her at the hospital would guaranteed that happening.

Emma expected some kind of witty reply or a teasing joke to cut the tension from Ruby, but none came and that caused some alarm for Emma. It was enough to make her look past the EMT and back to her friend who Emma was just noticing was very pale and looking even shakier than Emma herself felt.

"Ruby are you okay?" Emma asked and Ruby shook her head, looking like she was still in shock, but Emma waited her out, not giving up until Ruby admitted what was wrong.

"I don't know whether to thank you for saving my life or scream at you for being so reckless, Emma. You could have been killed by a bullet meant for me."

"Ruby you're my partner, not to mention my best friend. I saw the chance to save you and I took it. I don't regret that and look it turned out okay, right? I'm fine. This is nothing."

"It's not _nothing_ , Emma. I heard you, you know," Ruby said, tears forming in her eyes when Emma was so far from used to seeing them on her friend's usually happy face. "When you fell to the floor you said Killian's name. You knew as soon as you got hit what you might be losing."

Emma didn't remember saying anything aloud, but Killian had been on her mind yes, and in the flash of a moment where she'd believed she might be really hurt she'd been clinging to that image of the wedding they were heading towards and the future they were going to have. She'd been determined to live through whatever would come because she was never going to give him up, but that didn't mean Ruby should feel guilty. It just put into perspective some things for Emma about what she wanted and what she might be willing to do for this job down the line.

"But I didn't, Ruby, and maybe it was my imagination, but the way he was aiming that gun at you… I think you would have been hit a lot worse than I was."

Emma heard Ruby mumble that she was probably right, but her friend seemed unconvinced. Yet whether she noticed it or not, Ruby's hand went over her still flat stomach and Emma remembered just how much more was at stake in all of this than they realized. Not even twenty minutes ago Ruby had been confessing her good news to Emma, and that had all been over shadowed by a call too close to be even remotely comfortable.

"Remember that talk we used to joke was never coming?" Emma prompted, alluding to the moments the two of them had had on patrols over the years where they said they'd never go the desk and paperwork route or transfer to less intensive task forces. Once upon a time that career choice had seemed like a death sentence, but now, at least in the midst of today's negative aftershocks, it didn't seem so terrible at all. In fact it felt like the best choice given the fact that both Emma and Ruby were starting lives where they had so many more people to care about and so much more to potentially lose.

"Yeah," Ruby said expelling a shaky breath. "We might have been wrong about that one."

"Eh, it's all good," Emma joked. "We've been wrong before, we'll be wrong again."

"Maybe," Ruby agreed, lightening up enough to smile a bit. "But you can be damn sure that you're ass is never getting shot again Emma Nolan. I can freaking promise you that."

"Sounds good friend," Emma agreed, taking Ruby's hand in hers. "Sounds really, _really_ good."

…..

There would never come a time in Killian's life when he enjoyed the minute details of wedding planning. Maybe that was wrong of him, and maybe he should be more involved in what color schemes were chosen or flatware selected, but at the prospect of all these choices, Killian felt just how unimportant it was in the long run. What mattered wasn't that his groomsmen would wear navy or charcoal or that the china patterns were floral or stately. All that mattered to Killian was that in a week's time he would be marrying the best woman in the world and the one he'd been lucky enough to be loved by in return.

That being said, however, Killian was hardly in a position to deny the usual fanfare of a wedding, and with his future mother-in-law calling the shots, Killian knew better than to resist. Doing so would only cause unnecessary conflict with a woman who'd be in his life forever, and worse his lack of choice would only make for more work for Emma who didn't need the headaches caused by debates on the merits of lilac or lavender shades.

"How a person can dedicate so much energy to napkin wares I will never know," Liam muttered as he saddled up to where Killian had taken up across the ballroom from the rest of the organizing. This was only supposed to be a temporary break so as to clear his mind from some of these frivolities, but Killian should have known his elder brother would follow him.

Honestly Killian was rather surprised that Liam hadn't just suggested ditching all of this and leaving Emma's parents and a happily situated Elsa to bounce ideas off of each other, but then again Liam had been adamant since finding out about Elsa's pregnancy to never be far from his wife. It was a protective instinct that Killian understood but didn't have the chance to actively partake in, for where Elsa and Liam worked together at the State's Attorney's office, Killian and Emma were in separate forces all together. Much as he might like to be out there with her while she was on patrol, Killian knew it would be for nothing. He didn't have the proper training, and Emma was damn well capable of handling herself on her own.

"As long as Emma's happy and we're married, they can have every kind of bloody napkin in the city," Killian acquiesced and Liam chuckled at that before slapping his hand on Killian's shoulder.

"Not to worry brother, a wedding will come. You might be completely gone over this woman, but I'm happy to report she's just as tied up in you."

 _Damn right she is,_ Killian thought to himself as he grinned, feeling a lot lighter already than he had throughout this morning's rather last minute planning.

"Your brother's not wrong," Chief Nolan said as he approached from the other surprise. "Emma's just as ready for this wedding to come as you seem to be. You should have seen the look she gave her mother when Mary Margaret hinted at needing another week to get things perfect."

"She really wanted to wait another week?" Killian asked, shocked given how many things were locked in and how many deposits had been paid months back but then David chuckled and shook his head.

"Hardly. She just wanted to get a little rise out of Emma, and she was nothing if not successful."

"I don't doubt it," Liam replied with a laugh, cementing the moment as a positive one of two families coming together in a way Killian had never expected, but too soon it was broken by something that caught his attention. An alert that Killian recognized from Emma's emergency calls sounded across the way, and then Killian saw his soon to be mother-on-law's reaction and he knew, he just knew that this was serious and that it had to do with Emma.

"Oh God," Mary Margaret murmured, but by the time she looked up both Killian and David were already in motion towards her. Only when she conveyed the information, Killian couldn't comprehend it at all.

There was an incident. Emma and Ruby were on break at their favorite spot, a place Killian and Emma had been many times when their free hours coincided, when two assailants came in armed and looking to rob the place. Somehow things had gone south and there was an officer injured at the scene. That officer was Emma, and they didn't have any more information than that an ambulance was en route.

"We have to go," Killian said and thankfully there was no pushback as he said it. Instead Emma's parents were right there with him, rushing to the car without any more delay.

"Killian, if it's too much…" Mary Margaret began to offer as they got to the car, signaling at his driving, but it wasn't. He could be cool under pressure. He'd get them to Emma wherever she may be and rise above this. What they needed was Emma's mother monitoring the updates so they knew things as they happened.

"No, ma'am. I can do this. Just tell me where to go."

"They'll take her to Mass General because that's the closest place. Head there now, we can probably get there straight away."

Killian heeded the order from Emma's mother, and took every indication from the Chief about which routes to take to avoid the traffic. While that was happening more updates came in, the most important being that the shot, while still damaging, had hit Emma's protective vest. She was awake and responsive, bruised and battered, but given what could have happened and what Killian had been fretting over the past few minutes that felt like years, it was so much better than he'd been preparing himself before.

That didn't ease the ache inside of him that remained for the torturous fifteen minutes that they were driving though, and though his brain rationally knew that Emma would be okay, he was still wracked with that lingering spike of almost crazed worrying. He needed proof that Emma was truly okay, and it wasn't until he saw her there in the private ER bed fully conscious and sitting up that Killian felt any kind of relief. She was alive and alert and their time together wasn't over before it even really got the chance to begin as his heart had fretted when they first got the call.

"You're here," Emma whispered when she saw him, her eyes softening and some of her own anxieties melting before Killian's eyes as she looked at him and then glanced to her parents.

"Of course we are, Emma," her mother responded as she came to take Emma's other hand after giving Ruby a hug quickly. "We're just so glad you're all right honey."

"That we are, love," Killian agreed as he pressed a kiss to her temple and felt Emma lean into that bit of affection.

But before any more could be said or questions on specifics asked for, the doctors were there, bringing their expertise and saying that while Emma had some considerable bruising, they weren't seeing signs of breaks or fractures anywhere. In short she'd been damn lucky and gotten off about as easy as a person who was shot could get, but even that comforting bit of intel didn't change the need that Killian felt to keep his future wife's hand in his and to stay right by her side in every moment that was possible. Emma, for her part, didn't seem to mind either, and funnily enough there were moments when she seemed to forget she was the patient and she tried to make him feel better instead.

"It's fine, Killian, really. I mean I know I got lucky, but I'm okay, and they got the guys who did it so there's nothing left to worry about."

Maybe for a man who loved less that would be true, but Killian knew as logical as Emma's words were he'd never adhere to them. He was completely and utterly gone over this woman and no matter what her line of work or what her path in life was he'd want to protect her. He felt that need deep down in his soul like his place was beside her caring for her as she cared for him and being her partner. The thing was at work she had another partner, someone who Killian did trust just as much as Emma did, but that lack of control and that distance from the moments that might put Emma at the most risk had always and would always scare Killian more than anything else.

"Well I wouldn't go that far," her father clarified, putting in words much of what Killian was thinking. "There will always be worry about losing you, Emma. You matter too much to all of us to let that go."

Killian felt that claim all too keenly, and the tightness in his throat and surging emotion he was reeling from told him that. The truth was though that Emma had chosen a profession and in turn a life where this was a risk. She was on the front lines of danger even if this fluke of an incident hadn't actually been sparked by her being on patrol, and that wasn't going to change, not as long as she was a detective out in the field. That was a hard thing to accept too especially when Killian felt so bonded to Emma that the thought of losing her was too unbearable to linger on, but at the end of the day this was who Emma was. She loved her job, she felt an undeniable passion for helping people in the way she knew how, and Killian would never make her choose a safer path, not when he understood that drive and need to be on those frontlines just in a slightly different way.

"I know," Emma acquiesced, looking over to her father as she did before offering an attempt at a smile, and deflecting a little from her current situation by prompting Ruby to distract everyone with some better news.

Killian wasn't really sure what Ruby could possibly say to bring light into this situation, but when Ruby told them all that she and Graham were getting married and there was a baby on the way, he was happy for them, even as he was still caught up in all these feelings about Emma. Killian only had so much capacity for celebration right now, and though he wished he might be strong enough to rally and be totally fine, he was still stuck in the flux of all that had happened. He congratulated Ruby and Graham when he arrived minutes later of course, but there was still an edge underneath it all that kept Killian from feeling the joy for their friends as much as he might like, and though he seemed to be flying under the radar on that from the others, his Emma knew something was amiss.

"I vote that we never have another day like this," Emma said softly and Killian sighed, running his thumb along her knuckles gently.

"I do as well, love, but with the lives we've chosen we run the risk of this not being a one time thing."

"I'm sorry, Killian," Emma whispered and he searched her face for a reason. This wasn't her fault, so why would she apologize? But then she filled in the blanks of her statement and he understood. "I didn't ever want you to have to face a close call like this, not after what I felt when you saved Gus. That feeling… it's the worst feeling in the whole world."

Yes, it was. Emma was not wrong in that regard, and that reality was something that had been bearing down on Killian even before this mishap. He'd carried the memory of that night when Emma came to him after his close call with him always, and he'd been grappling for months about what his future with the force would look like. He loved the men and women he worked with, and he felt the impact of what they were all doing so strongly. They made a difference and saved lives but it came at a cost, and now that he had Emma, it was a cost Killian never wanted to pay.

All he wanted was to marry this woman, get started on that family the two of them had been dreaming of, and find a way to combine his love of the firehouse and his crew with a slightly safer track. The adrenaline rush did nothing for him anymore, and it was a false high of sorts when compared to what he'd found with Emma, so right here, in this moment, Killian made a silent vow that he'd find compromise. He would put in for a transfer or a new line of command that was less in the direct path of danger, but just because Killian might be ready for a sojourn from the front lines didn't mean Emma was, and it didn't mean Killian would try and influence her to get to the same page as him much as he might like to.

"I knew from the start that you were a woman capable of greatness love, and part of that greatness is that you're willing to give all of yourself to protect and serve. Scary as that might be at times when the chips are down, it's honorable, and it's one of the many things I love about you. I'd never resent those choices, Emma, because they're part of who you are."

Not for the first time since he'd first entered the room tears entered Emma's eyes, and the sight of them tugged at something in Killian. He hated to see her upset at all, but these tears signaled something different from pain or remorse. In speaking the truth, he'd said what Emma needed to hear most, and by doing so he'd set them both free in a way from the worries of their day.

"Marry me," Emma whispered and Killian laughed for the first time since all of this had happened, feeling so much of that pent up emotion seeping out as he did and he brought her hand that he was holding up to kiss gently, his lips lingering just a touch longer than might have been polite.

"Already happening, love," he promised, vowing there and then that no matter what may come they would be man and wife and he would make sure to bring Emma the kind of life a woman like her deserved.

"No, I mean tomorrow. Marry me tomorrow, Killian. I don't want to wait another day to be married to you. I don't think I can bear it."

Killian was struck with surprise at her request, but immediately his instincts told him that's what he wanted to. He never considered it a possibility, not when so much felt set in stone for their impending nuptials, from the venue to the food to the bloody cake, but he would make it all work for Emma. No matter what mountains needed moving or battles would be fought to get her her heart's desire, Killian would face them all and make them both happy in the process.

"As you wish, love."

The two of them shared a kiss then, mostly disregarding the fact that the room was still filled with family and friends and nurses. It wasn't swift by any means but sincere and sweet, an unspoken proclamation of love between the two of them and the loveliest kind of relief after this difficult day they'd faced.

"Mom," Emma called out when she and Killian had pulled away from each other. "I know you have everything planned, and I know it's going to be beautiful, but…"

"But you don't want to wait to get your happy ending," her mother replied as if she totally understood, and Killian watched as Mary Margaret took David's hand in hers and shared a look of love with her husband before turning back to Emma. "Don't you worry, Emma. I'll take care of everything and it will still be the single best wedding this city's ever seen. How does sunset tomorrow sound to you?"

"It sounds perfect," Emma said, her eyes never leaving Killian's as she did and her smile invigorating him in a way that no other remedy the world over could provide. "I guess this means we've got work to do."

"Oh no, there is no _we_ Ems," Ruby said. "You've been through more than enough today. What you two need is to get your love-sick butts home."

Emma laughed at the ridiculous label Ruby had given them and Killian couldn't help but grin either. After all love-sick wasn't so far off. He was totally consumed with his feelings for Emma, he just happened to find the sensation to be the most pleasurable of things and not an ailment of any kind.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked, feigning concern for the rest of them where Killian could see she was actually fine with that idea. She was putting on a façade to offer, but underneath that she was weary from the day, and like him, likely ready to be home and done with all of this.

"We're sure, princess. We've got this," David said as he came to press a kiss to her forehead. Then he stood up straight and nodded to Killian before tossing him a command. "You take care of my girl. Got that Jones?"

"Yes, sir," Killian replied, knowing he'd do right by the request no matter what and watching as the others took their leave to plan that sudden ceremony after bestowing all their love and affection on Emma.

"So if we're going home… I guess that means we're breaking with tradition. So much for that night apart my mother wanted," Emma said, pulling a growled out sound of disdain from Killian that made her smile even brighter.

"We were never abiding by that particular set of superstition, love. I was just letting your parents believe that we would to appease their more old-fashioned sensibilities."

"Oh really?" Emma asked, now highly amused. "And what, you were going to scale to the second floor of my parents house and sneak into my childhood bedroom like it was no big deal?"

"If that's what it took, yes," Killian said, totally serious. "You should know by now that there's nothing I wouldn't do for you, Emma, and much as you might like to tease me I know you didn't want that night apart either."

Emma's green eyes deepened in their color then, telling Killian everything he need to know. He was right, after all, and though it might feel unbelievable that he'd been so lucky as to make Emma fall in love with him as he was with her, that was their reality. All he had to do to know her heart's desires was look inward, for they were in this together and in sync in a way that only came with a true and enduring love.

"So is that what tonight's going to be all about… giving me what I want?" Emma asked her voice dipping lower and that so perfectly familiar heat flaring back to life between them full force. How she could be this damn tempting while injured Killian couldn't know, but he'd have to resist for a while until he knew his lovely wife was truly all right and he wouldn't hurt her in any way.

"As long as what you want coincides with what you need, love, it's yours. I'd give you the world as long as I could still keep you safe."

"I love you," Emma whispered and Killian smiled before making the same vow back. And when the doctor's discharged Emma an hour later saying she might be tender for a few days but could go about her business regularly, Killian made good on his promises of giving Emma everything she wanted and gratifying them both immensely in the process.

 _ **Post-Note: So thank you guys so much for bearing with me in this last chapter before the wedding. I know I thought I was going right towards the wedding but I knew I wanted to mirror Killian's close call with one for Emma too. Originally I thought I could articulate that in a smaller portion and then have the second half of this chapter be the wedding, but that just wasn't going to happen. Anyway I promise that when I do finally get back from the vacation I'll be taking next week I will bring all the fluff and cuteness to this wedding. I always love writing some CS vows and this will be no exception. Thank you all so much for reading and hope you have a great rest of your day!**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Okay all so thank you for being so patient in getting here. I am so happy that I've finally written this AU's wedding, and it comes bearing not just my usual fluff but also some honeymoon smut as well. After all, I need more scenes of tropically bound CS enjoying each other and a break from the world, and what better time to have that than in the final chapter of a fic like this? Anyway hope you all enjoy and thanks so much for reading!**_

As far as last minute shifts in wedding days went, Killian couldn't imagine stumbling upon a better one for him and Emma. Everything had come together in the less than twenty-four hours since Emma made her decision to move up the ceremony, and through the hard work of so many people who loved him and his bride to be Killian was standing in the midst of a fully formed and actualized wedding that he knew Emma would love.

Every element had manifested today so effortlessly, from the weather that was mild with only enough clouds in the sky to make for a gorgeous sunset in a few minutes time, to the change in venue that had to come with the sudden shift in plans. Despite trying her best to reorganize with the owners of the club where things had been planned for months, Emma's mother hadn't been able to bend things to her will, but it felt almost divinely crafted in the end. For now, after some ingenious planning on both Mary Margaret and Elsa's parts, Emma and Killian were getting married at Anna and Kristoff's Arendelle Estate and tying today back with the first date they'd shared many months ago. It was incredibly poetic, and somehow perfect even though none of this would have happened were it not for the twist of fate they'd faced yesterday.

In the times before when Killian had visited here he'd always admired the beauty of this piece of property and the lushness of this land so near the sea, but he never could have imagined it as it was now. In a matter of hours the place had been totally transformed and now the spacious grounds bore not only delicate floral designs and twinkling lights under a huge white tent for the reception, but a tasteful and elegant setup on the beach for the actual ceremony to take place. This would be the sacred spot Killian would always think of when he reflected on the day his whole world changed, and in just a matter of moments it was where Emma and Killian would be saying 'I do' in front of all the people here to wish them well this evening.

The thought that those vows were closer than ever and that soon enough he and Emma would be man and wife meant everything to Killian, but it was arguably even more powerful given everything they'd gone through yesterday. It was impossible for Killian to not still be effected by what had happened, and though he'd had hours to spend with Emma since then and a night wrapped up in her despite the old tradition of separation most couples kept, it wasn't quite enough to wash away the memory of the fear he'd felt.

" _I'm here, Killian,"_ Emma had promised him more than once as her hands roamed over his body or her mouth trailed kisses along his skin. _"I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."_

It had taken a little time to believe that despite Killian's constant ability to trust the woman he loved, but finally it did sink in and his heart was secure enough in her safety to let go of most of the pain, but the memory of it would always remain with him. For though Emma might have been the one to take the hit of that bullet, Killian felt the impact of the trauma right down to his bones in an undeniable way. This was because for all intents and purposes their lives were already tied together, and a risk to one was a risk to both that could injure unlike anything else in the world.

Words were simply inadequate when it came to the descriptions of how it had felt to go through such a moment, and there was nothing else Killian had ever faced that could compare to the horror of believing his Emma was hurt. Not even in moments when his own life was in peril had Killian ever known fear like that, but in the light of a new day, and with the proof ever increasing that Emma was truly okay and that she would soon bear no physical scars of that day at all, he was slowly returning to that center of calm. Emma was proving, as always, to be his anchor, and he wasn't ashamed to say that he depended on her. His life had swiftly become something better than he could ever have dreamed of because he had her, and so he'd been more than ready to side with her thoughts that they shouldn't wait to cement their commitment any longer. No matter what the cost or what the process, the two of them wanted to be married, and thankfully they were nearly there with only a few more minutes left to go before they could truly be on their way to a forever spent together.

"I hardly have to ask given the look on your face right now, but I will anyway… are you _sure_ you're ready for this, little brother? It's a big step getting married. Best to be totally certain."

The implication from Liam that somehow Killian didn't want to marry Emma and to spend his life at her side was equal parts ridiculous and comical because of how wrong it was. There was truly nothing in the world Killian wanted more than to be with this woman, and there had never come a moment since he'd known her where there had been any doubt on that count. Was he certain? No, he was so much more than that. He was undeniably devoted to the irrefutable truth that Emma Nolan was the one woman in the world for him and that he was a better man for having known her and loved her. But while Killian would have no problem stating that plainly for Emma, he didn't feel the need in this moment of jest to give his brother the satisfaction of a grand profession.

"I've never been more certain of anything in my life," Killian replied without hesitation, casting his gaze from the aisle where soon Emma would be appearing to find a look of total and complete amusement on Liam's face and on the faces of Graham and Will, Killian's two other groomsmen present today.

The expressions his brother and friends touted were more than smug, and for a moment Killian regretted having even selected a group of mates to stand here with him at all. This teasing was hardly new, and in fact Killian had been saddled with it all day between everyone poking fun at his impatience and then goading him on with the tiniest hints of how Emma was doing without granting him with any substantial intel. But underneath all of that there was real love and friendship from all of them, and on a day as special as this one Killian couldn't think of anyone else he'd rather have by his side than these three men.

"Gotta tell you that's good to hear, mate," Will joked easily before nodding his head towards the seats in the front row that were reserved for Emma's parents. "I don't think the Chief would be at all amused with cold feet when it comes to his daughter."

"It wouldn't be the Chief Killian had to worry about," Graham said with total seriousness. "He's not the one packing heat. He leaves that to the missus."

"Wait she's armed?!" Will asked in total shock, his eyes scanning the crowd for Mary Margaret who was dressed as any mother would be for her daughter's wedding, and the completely serious reaction had the rest of them laughing.

"No she's not armed, you maniac. God, have you always been so gullible?" Liam asked before looking to Killian as if to say 'what's with this wanker'?

"Will's typically a bit dense to be sure, but I think the quickness to believe is more thanks to a certain bridesmaid than anything else."

Killian tried to muster as casual a tone as he could when he hinted at Will's growing and totally obvious infatuation with one Belle French, but it was hard to keep the smile from his face. After all Killian had pretty much had a front row seat during the previous weeks of preparation to Will's reaction to Emma's friend from the station, and it had been anything but collected and calm. In fact it was almost shocking how little game Will seemed to have when he was really interested in someone, and though Killian wasn't going to tell Will, he knew Belle was somehow receptive to it all the same. The attraction, luckily for Killian's mate, seemed to be mutual, but what would be the fun in putting Will out of his misery so soon?

"You better keep your eyes off my wife, Scarlet," Liam warned sternly and somewhat randomly given Killian's purposeful implication, but when Killian and Graham realized what Liam was on about they both chuckled before Graham filled in for Liam's momentary obtuseness.

"He meant _Belle_ , Liam. Don't worry, no one's looking to die today."

Killian waited after Graham's more blunt declaration for some kind of response from Will, and though his eyes remained cast in the direction from which Emma would be coming, Killian was surprised not to hear any push back from his friend. This was the moment when Will should be posturing or calling them all idiots. Instead he was surprisingly quiet which spoke volumes to just how right Killian and Graham's observations had been.

"What's the matter, Will? Cat got your tongue? Or maybe you're trying to save up your words for your girl. You could have used them the last time she was talking to you. I mean that was just terrible," Graham joked and though Killian heard the scuffle of Will shoving Graham's arm and the whispered threat to 'bugger off' Killian was immediately pulled from that jesting by the sounding of the string quartet across the way as they began to play the wedding march.

"This is it, brother," Liam said jovially, slapping Killian on the back before stepping slightly farther away. "Get ready for the best times of your life."

There was no way that given his sudden surge of eagerness and excitement that Killian could respond. It felt like his whole world had suddenly spun back into its proper orbit, and the fleeting rays of light cast around them felt warmer and more prevalent now than ever. The sweetness of the music lilted over the beach, complimented nicely by the very subtle splash of waves at the shoreline, but then Emma's bridesmaids stepped into view one by one and Killian's hammering heart overpowered all the rest of it. He was so damn ready for Emma to be there, and it took everything in him to stay rooted to his spot when all he wanted was to get to her sooner.

Finally, after what felt like a small kind of eternity, his Emma appeared and words escaped him in that second when Emma finally came into view. It felt like the rest of the world was not so slowly fading away, like it was merely a distant memory of another time and place that didn't bloody matter. The only room in his heart and mind was dedicated to the stunning woman walking down the aisle towards him on her father's arm, and the rush of love and hope in Killian's chest at the sight of her was almost more than he could bear, but he wouldn't trade it for anything the world over.

A vision in white, that's what Emma was right now, almost as if an angel had fallen just for him. She was at once delicate and graceful in the ivory lace of her gown, yet somehow she was strong and sure too, and though from outward appearance she was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen, it was the brightness of her smile and the warmth of her love that shone through more than anything. It added a sparkle to her brilliant green eyes and it felt like all the light in the world was made for her and of her somehow.

All Killian wanted, all that he had ever wanted, was to feel a part of that light and right now he did more so than ever. It was unlike anything Killian had ever experienced before, this pull of complete and total bliss as he gazed upon his future wife, and all the promise of happiness and joy that charged the air around them crackled even more forcefully to life when Emma was just before him and her father placed her hand in Killian's.

"Take care of my girl, Jones," David said sternly, and it took everything in Killian to look away from Emma and provide her father with the respect he deserved. Killian nodded quickly, hoping to convey the sincerity he felt as he did.

"Always, sir," he vowed before adding a truth that shouldn't be forgotten. "Though I dare say Emma can handle anything herself."

The Chief seemed to accept that answer, kissing Emma's temple once more before returning to his seat and taking his spot just beside his wife, leaving Killian and Emma together and alone. Well except for the crowd of onlookers and the justice of the peace of course, but if it weren't for Emma's keeping him in the moment, Killian would have ignored all that and laid it all out on the line right then. Every word he'd thought up for his vows was on the tip of his tongue as well as so many more, and his instincts told him to pull this woman close and never let go, ceremonial structure be damned, but he couldn't risk dulling the brightness in Emma's eyes in any way, and so he contented himself with holding her hands in his and watching her through every part of the ceremony, soaking her in in all of her splendor.

Finally the moment came when most of the formalities and greetings had been completed and it came time to make their promises to each other, but it still required some waiting on Killian's part, for his wife had requested to gift him with her vows first. At the time Killian had hardly considered that a problem, but then in the face of Emma's words he was so overtaken that the vows he'd thought up himself seemed to fly straight out of his head, replaced instead with hers that he'd hold so much closer than any other words he'd ever received.

"Killian, I don't think there are very many stories that start the way ours did, and if there are then I have never heard of them. The fairytales I read as a kid never said I'd find my one true love on a fire escape in the middle of a ridiculous false alarm, and they definitely didn't stipulate that my mother and the mayor would meddle the way they did…"

" _I didn't_ meddle _, I just pushed them together a little,"_ Mary Margaret said from the few feet away she was, pulling an eye roll from Emma and a smile from Killian.

" _It's alright, honey. Whatever you did it turned out all right in the end,"_ David promised, seemingly appeasing Emma's mother and allowing Emma to continue on.

"But looking back on what we've found and all the good that came from those seemingly random and mostly crazy moments, I wouldn't change a thing about any of it. Everything we've been through, every up and down has led us to this moment, a moment I never believed I'd see because I was too afraid to go there. Love and me had never been something that worked before, and though I always had my parents as a guide for what could be, I didn't actually think it could happen to me, until I met you. It took meeting a man who was kind and gorgeous and loyal to the end to trust that love like this could be real, and I know in my heart that I needed you, Killian, and I will continue to need you always.

"Maybe that's not the strongest thing to say but it's true all the same, because the fact is I am stronger when I'm with you. I'm a better me with you by my side, and I'm a surer person because I know your love and I feel it every day without fail. I can do anything when we're together, Killian, and I promise to always try and be the same for you. Whatever dreams you have, they'll be our dreams together, and wherever life may take us, know that you'll have me with you always."

It shouldn't have surprised Killian that in her vows Emma would have found perfection. Every word and every sentiment pierced through him almost to the point of pain, but in a glorious way, and with the truth of her feelings shining so bright, Killian knew she had to mean every word. But now somehow he had to find words of his own, and though he'd headed into today prepared and believing that he had it all figured out, he spoke from the heart instead, granting Emma the same genuine affection she'd given him and hoping she'd feel them as much as he'd felt hers.

"I love you," Killian stated plainly before diving into anything else, and the simple statement made Emma's smile brighten even more before she bit her lip. "I love you, Emma Nolan, and before it happened, before I fell into this miraculous love with you, I didn't truly know what those three words meant. I believed myself to be aware of what real love entailed, but you have shown me that was not the case. I was blind to so much of what could be and then one day I met a woman, a woman who was capable and fierce and too beautiful to be real who opened my eyes. You can imagine my alarm when I then tried to convince her that she should take a chance on me and she resisted my advances."

This comment pulled a laugh not just from Emma but from most of the attendees too, but Killian continued on, his thumb running against Emma's wrist ever so lightly in a silent reminder that these words, even if they were being aired in public, were really just for her. Emma seemed to understand him too, for her smile slid back to that attentive sort of shape it had been in before, and he felt like as consumed as he was by her she was reeling from the exact same feelings.

"You were right before when you said that the going from there was unusual, but in all of the twists and turns, there was never a time when I regretted what we have and what we are. Perhaps our path has been different than others, but I believe it led us somewhere few people ever get to – a state of love so true it has no choice but to endure and to thrive in the face of anything. And I really believe that Emma, that we'll always endure and have this come what may. I know that together you and I can get through anything, love. We can weather every storm, revel in every blessing, and seize the moments of each day, cherishing them as two people in love should.

"As for dreams, the truth is, Emma, that _you_ are my dream, and the rest of it, the details of the life we'll make will all be thanks to you. All I could ever ask for is to have you at my side, but I will stop at nothing to give you the world. We'll find our way together you and I, and I promise that it will be a life worth living. And someday, years from now when we look back on what we've had, we won't carry regrets. We'll have no what-ifs, only the certainty that _this_ was the happiness we were always meant to find, and that nothing could be better in the world than this love, right here."

Before Killian could double guess anything he'd said or trace back over his declarations to see if they measured up, Emma showed him just how much she appreciated them by pulling him in for a kiss well before it was time. Killian was hardly off put by that either, but though she'd let the emotion of the moment get the best of her, it was Emma who broke the kiss just as quickly, blushing a rosy shade of pink at her outburst as she did.

"I just couldn't wait for that," Emma whispered and Killian's face came to cup her cheek.

"I'm glad you didn't. That's what all this is about – we've no need to wait any longer. We have everything now."

And as soon as their rings had been exchanged, their 'I dos' had been stated, and the justice had cemented them as man and wife, another kiss was had out there in the setting sun of a flawless, perfect day to celebrate that fact. For the wait truly _was_ over, and a new chapter had dawned for both of them that was destined to be even better than all the ones that had come before.

…

Emma didn't know exact statistics about how often people had perfect honeymoons, but it was safe to say, on the last full day of her and Killian's trip to this Caribbean island resort enjoying the sands and surf, that they had had one.

There was not one part of this trip, not the weather, or the accommodations, or the atmosphere of this tropical paradise that hadn't been amazing, and yet Emma had to admit that she was a little biased. After all she was riding a real high from the whole marrying her soul mate thing and it was feasible that they could have ended up in any corner of the world and she'd have loved it as long as she was with Killian.

Today though, Emma had woken up to a prospect she was hoping for all trip that was finally possible. Though her injuries had been relatively minor given her being shot just two weeks before, the bruising through her vest had been less than subtle and as such she'd been forced to cover up a bit more of herself on this vacation so far. But finally, after two weeks of rest and relaxation and tender love and care from her husband Emma was back, fully recuperated without even the faintest trace of the wounds she'd faced. As such, she was eager to share a little gift with the man she loved, and the thought of his face when he realized her intentions had Emma grinning like an idiot as they got ready for their final afternoon in the sun.

"Can you believe it's our last day here?" Emma asked once she'd finally gotten herself together and was back out in the suite with Killian, concealed by her cover up for the time being and pretending everything was totally normal. "Crazy how time flies when you're feeling this happy."

"Aye, love, it's gone by quickly, but I won't pretend I'm not a bit eager to be getting back. Going home again holds so much more promise now than it ever did before."

The fact that Killian could say sweet things like that and it still sent a flutter through Emma spoke volumes to the lasting power of this love that they'd found together, but the craziest part was it was totally natural to him. Killian had always been the kind of man who spoke his mind. He never hid things from Emma or tried to spin himself into something that he wasn't. What you saw was what you got with Killian, and what Emma got was lucky when he'd stumbled into her life all those months ago and made her fall in love with him.

"Agreed," Emma said before pressing a kiss to his lips lightly and then pulling away just at the point where he was going to take things further. Not that she would mind getting wrapped up in her husband and never leaving this room, but the promise of the moment she could have if she just showed a little more patience was too strong a call to turn down. Instead she stepped back, running her hand along his chest and smiling. "But in the meantime, I don't think one more day of sun could hurt."

As Emma expected, Killian was eager to concur with her and enable anything he thought she might enjoy, and she was going to enjoy this final journey down the sandy path to the little cove that was all theirs during this honeymoon. It was exactly what any two newlyweds could want, totally private and intimately romantic, but try as she might Emma hadn't been able to get her husband to take advantage of that isolation as of yet. Each time they'd gotten riled up and close to crossing the line he'd always whisk her back to their rooms and make love to her there, but this time Emma wanted to watch Killian so overcome with passion that he couldn't fend it off. It would be, quite simply, the best way to end this trip, and she was one hundred percent confident that she'd get her way if she played her cards right.

"All right, all things consider I admit there are _some_ things I'll miss about this trip," Killian admitted when they'd finally arrived at their loungers by the shore. "Namely the warmer climates and the fact that we've gone two whole weeks without a single interruption to our time alone. Home hardly boasts the same potential."

"You don't think my parents will be interested in granting us some 'newly married' privacy?" Emma joked, knowing for a fact that wasn't happening. No sadly enough once they touched down in Boston again things would largely go back to the way they always had been, and while there was certainly comfort in that fact, there was also the inconvenience that being so close to family always seemed to bring.

"I think I'm damned glad I stole back your mother's key again. Maybe if we give her the run around for a few weeks about having another made I'll be marginally more forgiving of her intrusions. But that's only if I have a little time alone with my _wife_ first."

"Moment crashing parents or not we have more than a 'little time,'" Emma murmured seductively. "We've got forever, or had you forgotten that?"

"Hardly, love," Killian said as he pulled her back in close stealing another heated kiss that threw Emma slightly off kilter before he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, looking like he was working hard to keep from giving in to the heat of this embrace and the lust brimming underneath the surface. "You could say I'm totally dependent on that forever. I'd never make the mistake of taking it for granted."

"You are way too charming for your own good, Sergeant. You realize that right?" Emma asked as she shook her head, watching her husband's smile tip up to one side and his blue eyes fill with the light of good humor. But it wouldn't last as long as he was probably anticipating, not when Emma had decided this was the moment of truth and she began taking apart the wrap she'd worn, revealing the barely-there bathing suit she was donning underneath.

For a few seconds it didn't seem to compute for Killian. That same almost roguish smile remained, and though he watched her with that same attentive level of fascination that he always did, Killian was fixated on her motions more than her body itself. Eventually though that shifted, likely because there was suddenly far more of her bare skin on display than in days past, and in the instant her master plan dawned on Killian, his smile slipped and something so much deeper was revealed in its stead.

Whatever Emma had imagined the reaction would be from Killian in the times she'd fantasized about this eventual reveal it couldn't compare to the actual response, which was simultaneously aghast and ravenous at once. There was this almost tangible sense of worry that she was so on display right now, though not in a way that undercut her authority to do as she pleased. Killian would never call that into question, but already Emma could see the gears turning in his mind about how he could convince her not to be so blatantly revealing for (what he thought was) the world to see. But more than that vein of protectionist thinking there was a hunger that Emma craved and wanted and that outshone all the rest of it when all was said and done. That look, the look like Killian simply couldn't control his desire for her try as he might, sent a shooting pulse through her system and heated her substantially.

"Bloody hell," he cursed to himself and Emma bit back her victorious grin, trying to play it off like she was oblivious to his thinking and probably failing miserably in her acting like this wasn't totally planned.

"Do you like it?" she asked, turning around and giving Killian a view from the back as she moved to drape the cover up she'd worn over the arm of one of the chairs. In seconds Killian was there, his hands coming to hold her hips and bring her against him. It sent a thrill zinging down her spine and through every nerve to feel how hard he already was and how ready he was physically to give into her tease, but Emma didn't retreat, instead arching just the tiniest bit closer to him to show this was exactly what she wanted.

" _Like_ isn't exactly the word, my love. I believe I'm right between love and loathe when it comes to this particular ensemble."

"Loathe, huh? Sounds intense," Emma whispered as his hand moved across her abdomen, his fingers tracing just above the bottom of the skimpy white suit and leaving goose bumps on her skin from the seductive chill it sparked.

"The thought that another soul would ever see you in this does not exactly sit well with me, Emma," he growled and Emma smiled at that before moving her hand over his and looking back over her shoulder at him. "But at the same time I'm powerless to deny just how stunning you are."

"Good thing there's no one here to see me then," Emma reasoned, her voice coming out with a breathy intone that hadn't been there at the start of this talk and that only ever came when this man's hands were on her body like so. "Consider this a present just for you."

"Is that what this is? And here I thought it was a challenge, and a rather blatant one at that. You're hoping I'll lose all control and take you right out here, aren't you, love?"

Words wouldn't even form at that point on Emma's tongue, not when Killian's lips had found that spot just behind her ear and then moved lower as one of his hands came up to the flimsy and straining tie between her breasts that was keeping the mere scrap of material on her chest at all. With deliberate slowness Killian pulled at it, and just when it was about to give he stopped, waiting for her answer and chuckling against her skin.

"Tell me what you want, Emma. Tell me how you want your husband to take you right out here in the open. You know I'll always give you what you desire, my love. All you need to do is ask."

Emma's eyes closed at the command and she had to work hard to cut through that underlying hum of need and want that had enveloped her. She was feeling so much because of the undeniable mastery Killian had over her body, but it also didn't hurt that she was helplessly in love with him. Every touch was more than just a pleasurable sensation, but an affirmation that her world was completely and totally right. Part of her swore she had to be dreaming because no one could have this level of unbridled joy, but she did – _they_ did – and all she had to do was tell Killian what she wanted and that would be highlighted even more in the most amazing way.

"You're actually going to go along with this?" Emma asked, stunned that she'd formed a sentence at all, but slightly frustrated at the fact that she was stalling further from all that Killian was promising with those glorious hands of his.

"Is it what you want, Emma?" Killian asked, his other hand dipping below the thin material of her bottom piece and Emma nodded before finally uttering the word aloud.

"Yes. Definitely yes."

"Then it's exactly what we'll have, love," Killian promised as he maneuvered her swiftly over to the bed-like structure that was spread out behind the loungers. It was meant to be a block from the heat of the sun with its pitched white canopy above, but Emma's genius of a husband was going to use this more spacious spot to give Emma exactly what she'd been after since seeing this whole set up in the first place.

The dance that unfolded from there was the most maddening kind of tango between fast and achingly slow. To say that it was teasing was too mild; it was an undeniable onslaught of sensation all courtesy of a man who knew Emma better than she knew herself. Every touch and every kiss was deliberate, and when coupled with the whispered words of praise for her that Killian couldn't seem to keep contained it had Emma's pulse roaring with fire and want and need. She was ready for this before they'd even begun, but Emma knew that getting her way didn't mean she was exactly leading this perusal. If anything she was just along for the delicious and tantalizing ride.

"Do you want to know a secret, my love?" Killian asked what could have been minutes or days later after spending what felt like forever riling her up with roaming hands and kisses to her neck and then down to her breasts where he'd spent so much time and meticulous attention pulling out every ounce of pleasure he could.

Emma honestly didn't know if she had the ability to say yes as his body moved lower and he trailed kisses and nips down from her breasts along the planes of her stomach. She was so distracted and caught up in all of this, but then his eyes flicked back to hers, teasing and taunting and challenging her in a way she had to rise to no matter how much she was experiencing right now.

"Tell me," she pleaded, her voice breathy and not bothering to conceal how turned on she was. This of course left Killian grinning and looking every part the conquering hero.

"Your gift, undeniably perfect as it might be, was hardly necessary. You see I had every intention of fulfilling your desires today plan or no plan."

"You did?!" Emma asked, her words basically choked out as Killian's hands removed the last bit of fabric between them, revealing her to him. "But I thought…"

"You thought I was suspect of the lack of privacy," Killian filled in when Emma's train of thought slipped for a moment. "And I was for the first few days. But more than that I feared giving in would mean having less time for you to thoroughly enjoy this trip. All it would have taken was one memory of having you out here as I wanted and I wouldn't have stopped. It never would have been enough."

Emma was trying to comprehend everything that Killian was saying, but just when understanding began to dawn on her it shattered as his mouth came to her sex. Then all thoughts were lost and the only thing left was fireworks and the throbbing, electrifying bliss of his talented tongue working its magic. In truth every part of it was so fantastic that Emma fell into her climax before she even thought possible, shattering into what felt like a million pieces only for Killian to put her back together as he made his way back up her body to look into her eyes.

"Truth is, Emma, resistance when it comes to you is futile. It's almost as if your will is my command, probably because we both always want the same things."

"So stop resisting," Emma replied as her hands moved down the defined slope of his chest and then lower, feeling the taut muscles that spoke to his barely restrained need. In this moment Killian had finally stilled long enough for Emma to have some kind of upper hand, and she wasn't fool enough to waste it. Instead she took advantage of the opening and flipped their positions so Killian was beneath her now, looking like he was seconds away from caving fully as she came to line herself up with his hard, waiting length. "Give in with me."

Killian didn't need to be told twice, and Emma was fully ready to take charge of this union, bringing them together over and over again as the pressure inside of her built. It was slow at first, building to something so much stronger, but soon it gave way to hard and fast and finally they were both teetering over the edge and into a release so sweet it outshone everything else, leaving Emma spent and sated and totally content.

"That was… well I don't even think there's words for what that was," Emma said, swearing there shouldn't be a high so good but thankful that there was and that she'd found it with Killian. People didn't get this lucky, but somehow they were and it was almost like magic in how rare all of this was.

"Aye, love, I think we're in agreement on that. Perhaps I shouldn't have denied you all those other times. Clearly you were onto something," Killian acquiesced, pulling a smile to Emma's lips as she snuggled in closer to him.

"I think you just more than made it up to me," Emma teased and Killian chuckled, his fingers tracing shapes along her bare back as the vibration of it ran through her.

"You mentioned our return home before, Emma, and I just want you to know that whatever happiness we've had here isn't going anywhere. We'll carry it with us always. No matter where we are, no matter what we face, we'll always have this. We'll always have us."

Emma knew that was true and as she looked up into her husband's eyes, she saw glimpses of that happiness they were going to have. After years of seeing something similar with her parents, Emma knew what a marriage built with the foundations of true and lasting love looked like. It wouldn't always be easy, but it would always be worth it and Emma knew she and Killian were both determined to give this there all. They'd walk through life together and face each triumph (like starting the family they both wanted), and each set back (which were bound to pop up given their jobs and the risks they came with), and though it might not always be sunshine and smooth sailing, it would be the best part of her world and one of the greatest things she'd ever done.

"I love you," Emma whispered as her hand ran across Killian's jaw, grazing the spot where flesh met the stubble of his beard and taking comfort in that rough scratch that she'd grown so familiar with.

"And I love you, Emma. For this day and all days still to come."

With those precious words and another kiss, Emma and Killian set out to enjoy the last fleeting hours of their honeymoon before returning back home soon after and finding that Killian was absolutely right. The joy did last, and their love grew ever stronger as weeks turned into months and months to years. Eventually the family they dreamed of came to be too, and with it came a stronger understanding of just how much they'd found together. It was a gift Emma and Killian would never trade for anything, and to have all that while still having the work that the two of them loved made for a wonderful kind of balance that facilitated a truly beautiful life.

And in the end, despite the odds being stacked against them, and despite all obstacles the world might through their way, the love of these two people remained constant and endured. Because for Killian and Emma Jones there would never be anything more important than love and fighting for it always and forever.

 _ **Post-Note: So to say this has been a fun little fic for me to explore is an understatement, and as long as I've been writing CS I've always wanted a story with Emma as a detective and Killian as a firefighter. It's a trope I've always enjoyed, and because of that it's bittersweet to have this story ending. As of right now this is the last chapter of the fic (though I intend to craft an epilogue sometime later this summer) but I went out I believe with my usual brand of fluff and cuteness. I hope that you will all agree, and I appreciate all the kindness and support you guys have sent my way during this project. It's been delightful and I really enjoy seeing what you guys think. Anyway hope you have great rest of your day and thank you all very much for reading!**_


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